Feral Trauma
by Risika Kiisu Seto
Summary: Kuga "Cougar" Talonson must learn to either accept or control her inner beast. After being in a mutant testing facility for a year, will she be able to overcome the mental trauma, or will she decide all people are untrustworthy? What does Sabretooth want with her? How will the arrival of her brother affect the situation? Please leave reviews! WIP. Rating may change...
1. Chapter 1: Prologue: Blind Panic

**Title:** Feral Trauma  
**Authoress: **Risika Kiisu Seto  
**Rating: **T  
**Warnings:** langage  
**Summary:** A teen, tossed out of the house for being a mutant, must learn to cope with what living on the run really means. What can she do to control her Feral powers, and can she find anywhere to call home?

_I'm only gonna say this once. I am not and do not get any money for writing fanfiction. Wish I did, but I don't._

_And, I own NOTHING! Not the X-Men, not any fancy-shmancy quotes that I put in before the chapter, or anything else. The only thing I own is the original character, a bunch of movies (including the 3 X-Men movies and X-Men origins), and a bunch of videogames. Everything else either owns me (my cat…) or is in the ownership of my parents, since I'm broke and refuse to get a job. So, big-man companies, find someone else to sue._

* * *

"In time we hate that which we often fear." -William Shakespeare

**Prologue: Blind Panic**

Stars peered down on the quiet street, silent sentinels over the small houses that lined the road. Streetlights casted an orange glow over the lawns and asphalt, but presented many shadows for the creatures of the night to hide. A light breeze blew around the houses and down the street, stirring the trees' and bushes' leaves.

Suddenly, the sound of bare feet hitting the asphalt broke the tranquility of the night. Labored breath soon accompanied the pounding feet. Moments later, a young teen ran out from between two houses. She was around 17 years old and only wore a spaghetti strap shirt and a pair of thigh-length shorts. A gym bag was on her back, with a string across her stomach. Her light brown-grey hair that eased into pure black was streaming out behind her as she ran frantically away from whatever was chasing her. Her slit pupils were almost entirely covering the tiger's eye gold iris in her terror.

She could feel the sharp ache in her legs and sides, and a sharp pain originated from her throat with each inhale. Her lungs ached for more oxygen, and she longed to rest and take a break, to collapse and sleep, but she knew she couldn't. She was in full flight mode, her other nature taking over in her panic. Besides, _they_ were right on her tail; she could hear their heavy boots pounding on the ground behind her even over her loud breathing and pounding heart.

She ran down the street for a ways before rushing between two houses and into the trees behind them. The teen ran through the trees until she couldn't see the lights behind her, then ran some more. She ignored the cuts and scrapes she got from branches and twigs and the undergrowth. She could feel the soles of her feet bleeding, could feel the sharp sting as debris got in the cuts, but still she ignored it all in her frantic flight. She didn't even seem to realize the town was miles behind her or that her pursuers had quit chasing her a while back when they realized she wouldn't stop. She just kept running.

Finally, exhaustion forced her to stop her blind flight. Warily, she looked around, tentatively sniffing the air for any trace of the people who were chasing her. When she found no scent, she looked around for anyplace she could use as shelter for the night, or what was left of it. She was certain she didn't leave much of a trail; it wasn't snowing, and there wasn't any mud for her to step in. Only her blood would lead someone to her.

She spotted a rocky overhang with a small space where she could curl up easily, and would only be visible if someone stood in the right spot.

She woke up at the slightest noise, something she discovered before she told her family of her mutation. While it kept her aware of her surroundings, she was unable to sleep. But, as the sky slowly turned from darkest black to grey, she fell into a fitful sleep.


	2. Chapter 2: Runaway

**Chapter 2: Runaway**

**The Day Before**

A young female woke up slowly, trying to will the kinks out of her neck. When it didn't work, she sighed before getting out of her bed and getting dressed. Her door opened just as she reached it, startling her mother, who was walking past the teen's bedroom.

"Oh! Kuga! You scared me! I thought you were still sleeping," Karen smiled. Her light brown hair reached her shoulders in gentle waves, a complete contrast to the younger's own straight, mid-back brown-grey hair.

Kuga grinned, revealing pointed eye-teeth. "Ma, ya know I wake early," she replied.

"You didn't use to. Just a few months ago, you would sleep in until noon on weekends." Karen gave her daughter a concerned look. "Are you sure you're getting enough sleep?"

"Yes, Ma," came the exasperated sigh.

The two walked down the hall and into the kitchen, where Kuga got a bowl of cereal, which she ate leaning against the countertop. A glance at the clock revealed it to be only 6:30. Early? Yes, for normal people. For Kuga, that was late. She was used to waking up at 5 am.

"It's just…You go to bed so late, but get up so early…" Apparently, the elder woman was reluctant to drop the subject.

"Ma, honestly, I'm _fine_," Kuga stressed, giving her mom a look. "Look, do I _look_ like I'm havin' problems sleepin'?"

Karen gave Kuga a critical once-over. What her daughter said made sense. She didn't have bags under her eyes like most 17-year-olds did. Her skin was a healthy color, considering her pale complexion. When she got sick, Kuga would turn white, often rivaling an unmarked piece of computer paper.

Karen sighed. "I just worry about you." Kuga gave her mom a hug and a kind smile.

"I know, Ma." The teen put her dishes in the dishwasher and the pair went into the living room to watch the news.

"_Senator Kelly is urging the general public to vote for the Mutant Registration Act,"_ a news anchor said. Kuga growled softly as the senator appeared on the screen.

"_Mutants should be monitored, their powers put in the system. I'm only looking out for the people of our country,"_ the man said. _"Mutants are a potential risk to the rest of the public."_

"_The senator has been promoting Anti-Mutant laws and registration since the discovery of a mutant population,"_ the news anchor continued.

"I think it's a good idea," Karen commented. Kuga looked at her mom with barely concealed hurt.

"…Why's that?" the teen asked, her voice not betraying the hurt and betrayal she felt.

"Well, the Mutant Registration would allow the government to see which mutants pose a potential threat. Like that Sabretooth beast, or that Magneto character. You've seen the damage those mutants have done. Even those who claim to be good do damage to the community when trying to stop those other mutants. Look at what that Cyclops did when they tried to stop Juggernaut from breaking into the national bank!"

"But still, there are mutants who try ta help, and there are those whose powers are so weak, they're not even worth mentionin'," Kuga argued. "Besides, the Registration Act is like… Like the Holocaust!"

Karen gave her daughter a confused look. "The Holocaust? What does that have to do with anything?"

"The Mutant Registration act is tellin' mutants ta basically say 'hey, I'm a mutant!' Durin' the Holocaust, the Nazis first had Jews promote their religion, sayin' they're Jewish. Then they had Jews put the Star of David on their clothes ta further promote their Jewish-ness. That led ta the ghettos, which progressed inta the concentration camps, an' it ended with death camps. That's what's gonna happen if this Registration act goes through."

"Don't you think that's a little extreme?" Karen asked skeptically.

"Well…That's a worst-case scenario. The _best _case scenario would be the mutants would be monitored like the sex-offenders. Where they put cameras in the mutant's house, an' have government people move in next door, an' someone constantly trailin' 'em."

"But that's what we _want_," Karen replied. "So the mutants can't do anything bad."

"But most mutants are law-abidin' citizens who would have their privacy taken away!"

"Wa's goin' on?" came a sleepy voice. The two people looked over quickly, startled.

A teen a few years younger than Kuga was standing in the door between the kitchen and the living room in only his sleep pants. His ditch-water brown hair was sticking up in places, and his dark brown eyes were barely open. The teen dragged a hand over his face, trying to wake up.

"Mornin' James," Kuga greeted. James gave his sister a sleepy glare. "Did we wake ya?" Her tone was sorry as she looked at her brother.

His answer was a grunt as he shuffled back into the kitchen. Kuga followed him, while Karen decided to watch the weather.

"Sorry about wakin' ya," Kuga said softly as James put two slices of bread in the toaster.

"Wha' were ye arguin' 'bout, anyway?" he asked. He was still slurring slightly, which Kuga knew meant he was still waking up.

"I'll tell you on the porch," she promised. "Meet me out there when you wake up."

"'Kay." And the younger teen went about making his breakfast.

Kuga shook her head and walked outside, looking over the backyard. She hopped on the railing of the porch, leaning against one of the columns supporting the overhang that kept the sun off the people who would often spend time there. Kuga brought one leg up, hugging her knee with one arm while the other hung off, swinging lazily. Her free hand rested on her thigh.

She watched the shadows shrink as the sun rose higher, the birds flying about, her family's chickens pecking the ground for bugs, and the wind rustling the tall grass farther back. Kuga loved it out here; there weren't many annoying neighbors, it was quiet, and there wasn't a bunch of people rushing to get to work.

About 10 minutes later, James opened the back door and stepped outside, closing it softly. Kuga didn't turn to look at him, but could hear his soft footsteps as he walked up to sit in a chair near her.

"What's going on," James asked softly. Kuga kept looking out over her backyard.

"…Senator Kelly's been promotin' the MRA again. Saw it on the news," she finally said, just as softly. She and her brother had decided to shorten the Mutant Registration Act. They had toyed with calling it the Mutie Regi Act, but decided to just use 'MRA.'

"Oh."

Kuga smiled ruefully. "He was talkin' 'bout how he's just lookin' out for the other people. Mom agrees with him."

"…Did you tell her…?" James asked hesitantly.

"No." Kuga snorted in an unladylike fashion, both at her thoughts and at the dogfight two birds were currently engaged in.

"Will you?"

Kuga finally turned to look at her younger brother. Her tiger's eye gold eyes were dark with suppressed emotions, emotion that she refused to show.

"James, I tried to get her ta change her mind," she whispered. "I tried ta tell her if this goes through, history'll repeat itself. Mutant's who're just tryin' ta get along in the world will have no chance ta live a normal life. We'll have our privacy taken, but she doesn't care. She's too dead-set on her views ta change fer her daughter."

James frowned. _'How does she know Mom won't change?'_ "Cougar, you won't know unless you tell her."

Kuga just gave him a humorless smile before turning back to look into the field. "Go ahead an' tell 'er if ya want," she said without turning. "I jus' don't care anymore."

James gave his sister one last concerned look before returning inside. It was chilly outside, and he wasn't wearing a shirt. How she could sit there with shorts and a spaghetti strap shirt, he'll never understand. Even in the winter, she hardly ever wore heavy coats. Most days she had a thicker jacket, but never a coat.

The teen sighed before heading into the living room. _'She'll never do this if she's given the choice. She needs someone to take control,'_ he told himself. But another voice decided to speak.

'_Even if that's true, Kuga should be the one to tell Mom and Dad. Not you.'_ The dark-eyed teen snorted, but didn't mention Kuga's mutation when he sat down to watch the news with his mom.

After a while of watching the critters, Kuga went inside. Karen gave her daughter a concerned look, but didn't restart their argument as Kuga sat down on the couch.

When the news said they were going to report on the Mutant Registration again, Karen wisely changed the channel.

* * *

After watching some true-crime show for a while, the cat-eyed teen got up and left the room after giving James a look. He let out a silent sigh, but followed his sister outside, where he found her sitting in a tree.

"Kuga?" he asked softly. Kuga just waved him closer. James did so, stopping just under the branch she lounged on.

"What's up?" he questioned. The teen in the tree glanced down at him before looking out over the field again.

"…I'm gonna tell Ma an' Dad," Kuga said after a moment. James just looked at her, his mouth agape. Kuga looked at him and chuckled at his expression.

James blinked rapidly, trying to wrap his mind around it. _'She's gonna tell them? She was just going on about how they wouldn't accept her! What in the world is with her? She better not be pulling my leg.'_

James glared at his sister. "You better not be pulling my leg," he warned. "If you tell me you are doing this, you're gonna do it."

Kuga snorted. "James, I'm _gonna_ tell 'em. I can't deal with this anymore. Can't deal with keepin' it a secret from 'em. They deserve to know."

James sighed before pulling himself into the tree to sit on a branch near Kuga.

"I'll stick with you, sis. Right by your side," he promised.

"Promise me one thing," Kuga said. James gave her a wary look. His sister never asked for favors or promises, so this was probably something big.

"What?"

She didn't look at her brother, instead leaning her head against the trunk and looking through the branches out into the sky.

"…Promise me that if I have ta leave… Ya won't follow," she murmured.

"What? No! I can't promise that!" he cried out. James looked at the other teen like she'd lost her mind.

"James, I can't have ya followin' me across the country!" she replied in turn. "If anythin' were ta happen ta ya while ya were tryin' ta find me, I…" she broke off suddenly, jumping out of the tree only to land in a graceful crouch. Kuga started pacing, reminding James of a caged panther.

"James, I can't have anythin' happen ta ya," she finally said. "Besides, ya still need ta finish school. Yer only a freshman, fer cryin' out loud! Ya have yer whole life ahead of ya! I can't have ya runnin' off ta keep an eye on me!"

"I'm not gonna let you run off by yourself," James replied with steel in his voice.

"Grrrah!" Kuga gave an aggravated half-growl, half-sigh before jumping back onto her branch with one leap. She turned to her brother, a serious look on her face. Her tiger's eyes were glowing brightly with barely suppressed rage.

"James, listen to me," she ordered.

"NO! **You** listen to **me!**" James returned. Kuga growled, but he ignored it. "It isn't right that you should have to run around by yourself just because people don't like what you are! If anything _does_ happen to me, which I doubt anything will, it'll be my own fault."

Kuga closed her eyes and took a deep breath, held it for a count of 5, and slowly released it. When she opened her eyes again, they were still glowing with anger, but it was suppressed.

"James, please listen," she said quietly. "I can't have ya runnin' off with me 'cause, if push comes to shove, the government'll probably be followin' me. If yer caught runnin' off with me, ye'll be questioned an' thrown in jail or somethin'. I can't have that on my conscience."

Kuga looked James in the eye and he was shocked at the desperation in her eyes, the near panic that he'd never seen before.

"James, please promise me," she whispered. "Promise me you'll stay here. Promise me you'll finish school and be good."

He took a steadying breath and put a hand on Kuga's. "I'm probably gonna regret this, but… I promise," he said softly. Then he glared at her. "But, if you don't contact me somehow, I'm taking the Jeep and I'm coming after you."

Kuga chuckled, patting her younger brother's cheek softly. "I'll keep in touch. An' the moment I find ya've gotten yerself in trouble, I'm gonna come back and give ya a piece of my mind."

James grinned, but sobered up quickly. "…When are you going to tell them?" he asked.

"Tonight, after dinner." Kuga looked at James. "I've had a small pack ready in case anyone came fer me since the mutie hysteria's risen, so if I need ta, I can get away quickly."

James raised an eyebrow. "You've been waiting for something to happen, huh?"

"With the people bein' all paranoid, I've been expectin' somethin', yeah. Figured it was only a matter of time before someone realized I was a mutie." James nodded.

"…It's probably a good thing you went to my Boy Scout meetings, then, huh?" he grinned. Kuga smiled in agreement.

"Sure is. At least I know I won't freeze or somethin'," she replied.

"And with your abilities, you won't have a problem with surviving in a fight."

"True."

The siblings lapsed into a comfortable silence, enjoying the morning.

* * *

After dinner, Kuga looked around at her family. Her mom with her light brown hair that reached her shoulders in gentle waves, sitting in her rocking-recliner with the foot-rest up, her dog laying by her feet.

Her brother, his ditch-water brown hair just barely reaching his eyebrows, swept to one side from his nervous habit of doing that, sitting on the couch near Karen with an orange tabby cat sitting on his lap.

Her dad, Adam, with his dark hair pulled back into a ponytail that reached the nape of his neck, his darker skin revealing Native American blood and his salt-and-pepper colored scruff of a beard from years in the military, sitting in a rocking-recliner like Karen, his Sudoku book on the arm of his chair as he tried to figure it out.

Kuga looked down beside her, where a small black cat was curled up next to her leg. The two cats were siblings, with completely separate personalities. They were small, almost small enough to be kittens, but in reality they were almost 2.

The small cat looked up, her green eyes piercing into Kuga's own golden eyes, as if to say '_Tell them now, or you're never gonna do it.'_ The teen snorted softly, giving her cat a small smile before taking a deep breath.

"Ma, Dad? I have something to tell you…" she started. Just like he promised, James moved to be by her side, just like her black cat.

* * *

"What did I tell 'im? _What_ did I tell 'im?" Kuga growled as she shoved a few things in her already packed gym bag. A journal, a pencil, a photo album, her yearbook from last year, her address book…

As she was putting her wallet in the bag a knock sounded at her door. She jumped, dropped the bag, turned, and crouched defensively. Her claws were out, and she was about to jump on the intruder until she realized it was James.

"What the _hell_ are ya _doin'_, James?" she asked in a furious whisper.

"Wanted to see you off," was the nonchalant reply. James was leaning against her doorway, one hand in his jeans' pocket.

Kuga just gave him a dry look. "That's not everythin'," she muttered, picking up her bag. James snorted.

"You always know when I'm keeping something from you," the teen murmured cynically with a grin.

"James, I have'ta go. _Now_. Ma an' Dad already called the gov," she said with a touch of urgency and fear.

"I know. But I wanted to give you something," James replied. He pushed off from the door and stepped toward his sister. He pulled a small draw-string bag out of his back pocket and put it in her hand.

"Keep in touch. Remember to call Tanya and Christy. I'll tell them what happened." James gave her a quick (but tight) hug, before pulling back, holding onto Kuga's shoulders. "Remember I love you Cougar."

She smiled and gave James a quick hug in return. "Love you too, James. I'll call as soon as I can."

Then she opened her window and jumped through the screen, running down the street.

* * *

James was woken up by someone pounding on the front door. He groaned and got up, getting to the door to the living room just as his father opened the door.

"Mr. Adam Talonson?" a deep voice asked.

"Yes, please come in," Adam said, granting passageway to the late visitor. James peeked around the door and saw a large man in military BDUs sit on the couch. He had the look of one of those Mutie regulation guys, with the big muscles, big guns, and bunch of other crap in the pockets on his BDU.

"I am Commander Feron. You called earlier to report a mutant, correct?" the guy asked.

"Yes. My daughter." James glared venom at his father. _'How could he just give his own __**daughter**__ over to the government? That isn't right!'_

"Why didn't you call her in earlier?" Feron asked.

"We didn't know, Commander. She didn't really spend time with us. Our son, James, knew, though," Adam replied.

"May I speak with him?"

"Of course," Adam consented, giving the commander directions to James's room. However, just as Feron got up, James entered the living room.

"Oh, James," Adam said, surprised.

"You wanted to talk to me?" James asked in a dark voice.

"Yes, if you don't mind," Feron replied. "I just have a few questions about your sister."

James glared at the two men in the room, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"How long have you known she was a mutant?"

"Since she was 7. I was 6. I didn't call her in because she's my fricking _sister_. I wasn't about to turn her over." James looked the commander in the eye. Feron was silent for a moment or two, during which Adam shifted uncomfortably.

"What are her mutant abilities?" Feron asked. James raised an eyebrow.

"Why should I tell you?" he retorted defiantly. He smirked inwardly as the commander's eye twitched slightly.

"Son, just tell Commander Feron Kuga's abilities," Adam said wearily. James turned his dark eyes on his father, but held his tongue.

"Listen, kid," Feron growled impatiently. "If you don't cooperate, you could be charged with interfering with government affairs and thrown in jail. Just tell me what her abilities are, and I will leave."

"So you would pull rank on a 15-year-old?" James asked incredulously, continuing before Feron could reply. "Whatever. She's got stronger hearing and sense of smell than most people; I liken it to a bloodhound or stronger. Um…" James looked at the ceiling as he thought. "She's fast and strong and can move like a cat, with quick, graceful movements. She also has a cat's reflexes, and can jump high."

"Anything else?" the commander asked when James didn't add to the list. "Physical mutations?"

James gave the man a confused look. "Physical mutations?"

"Like Sabretooth or Night Crawler. Claws, unnatural number of fingers or toes, tail, ears…" Feron supplied.

"Oh. She has a cat's eye, and it looks like a tiger's, a burnt gold color. And claws." James turned to his father. "I honestly don't know how you didn't notice."

"Neither do I…" Adam sounded stunned.

"Is that everything?" Feron asked impatiently.

"…Yeah. Hey, Commander," James said as Feron started to leave. The commander stopped, looking at the young man with a raised eyebrow. "If you're gonna go hunt for her, I'd be careful. She gets real angry, real quick. And trust me, you _don't_ wanna make her angry."

Feron gave James a cursory look. "I'll keep that in mind," he said slowly. Then he left. James turned to go back into his room, when his dad spoke.

"Son, I-" Adam started.

"No. I don't wanna hear it," James interrupted over his shoulder. He didn't look at the elder man. "You tossed my sister to the dogs. They're gonna hunt her until they find her."

James clenched his fist by his side. "She's only 17." He glared over his shoulder. "But you can't see that, can you? Neither you nor Mom can. She's not human because she has a mutation, right? Just like the rest of the mutants?" James snorted cynically.

"News flash, Dad. She's human, like us, but with something more. She's _human._ But my parents, who always looked down on racism, are bigoted Anti-Mutant supporters."

He stalked back to his room, ignoring his dad.

* * *

Outside the Talonson house, Commander Feron got into a black SUV, speaking into his com-link.

"Charlie Squad, bring out the dogs. We need to find the mutie. Charlie Squad, get the dogs, over."

"_Charlie Squad, we're getting the hounds. Sir, do you think we should get Tracker Gamma?"_ the squad leader reported.

"No. If the dogs don't find her, then we will. For now, let the dogs have their turn," Feron replied.

"_Understood, sir. The hounds are getting excited. Think they have the mutie's trail, sir. Over."_

"Follow it. Delta Squad, follow Charlie Squad. Over and out."

Feron watched as a group of men were pulled by hounds up the street, followed by another group of men holding guns.

* * *

Kuga slid into the shadows easily, slipping between the houses and through yards without disturbing any dogs. She had her gym bag secured with a string across her stomach so if a strap slipped off, the bag wouldn't fall off.

She was near the outskirts of the town when she froze. The wind was blowing toward her, bringing the scent of dogs, gunpowder, and a large group of men.

'_Shit! The feds are already here? Dammit!'_ she thought. She kept weaving between houses and garbage cans, hoping to throw the hounds off, but they still followed.

She panicked when she heard the heavy boots jogging closer, the hounds' snuffling, the guns hitting the men's backs…

Kuga picked up the pace, feeling her inner animal strain against her hold. Her control broke as the hounds started baying, having spotted her.

As her animal took control, Kuga took off, running down the street. She let go of the rest of her minimal control, giving in to her animal's desire to be let out.

'_Run. Free. Stay free. Danger-men following. Get away,'_ the growling voice of her animal told her. Kuga agreed whole-heartedly. She was scared—terrified, if truth be told—and wanted only to stay out of the men's grasp.

'_Stay free. Danger-men will not catch us. Fire-stick won't touch us. Will keep human safe,'_ the growl comforted Kuga. The teen sank down to sleep, positive that the animal wouldn't let her get caught.

* * *

**This is my first X-Men fanfic. Before people actually get onto my tail about it not following anything, I've not read the comics, only watched the movies and seen some of the TV cartoon series... X-Men Evolution, I think...**

**I'm trying to understand what the hell I'm doing writing X-Men when I'm trying to finish a FF8 fanfic... Talk about a drastic change in generas... My previous obsession was Danny Phantom, then FF8, now X-Men... What the hell am I gonna do with me?**

**Anyway, I hope people like it.**

**If you can guess where I got the insipration for Kuga's name and hair color, I'll either write a one-shot following a plot of your choosing, or have a cameo appearance of a character of your choice.**

**Please review. I love reading what people have to say about my stories, as I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing. No flames, though. I do enjoy critique, and things pointed out, like mistakes I've made in grammar or spelling or whatnot. No one's perfect. I'm not exempt from that group.**

**Tell me what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3: Drive Away

**Thanks to PrincessAnime8 and my two anonymous reviewers, anon and Emily! I'm glad you both are enjoying the story so far! I honestly didn't expect to see 2 reviews right after posting it… O.O Imagine my surprise when I looked only a few hours after posting it, and I saw a review, and another the next morning!**

**Emily- **Sorry if Kuga's speech is a bit hard to read, but just wanted to let you know that's actually how I speak, it's just not as noticeable when you live in Missouri. XD And I'm glad you thought the pace was well set. I find I often have problems with that. Descriptions are easiest for me, since I'm a _very_ detail-oriented person. XD

**Before we get to the chapter, I have a question. Are all feral mutants secretive? Reason I ask is 'cause Kuga isn't tellin' me **_**anything**_**, nor has she given me any reason as to why she's done some stuff. Like why'd she bring her yearbook? O.o (She's barely told me anything. Part of that is one of my other muses keeps taunting her, and…well… You know what happens when Creed taunts Logan, right? Right.)**

**Alright, I'm done rambling! I now proudly present the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 3- Drive Away**

It had been 6 months. 6 months since her own parents called the government on her. 6 months since she left Missouri. 6 months since she'd last talked to her brother and her friends.

Kuga stayed in the trees when she could, and hurried across plains and farmland when she came across them, avoided anyone who came close to her in the forests, and ran when anyone saw her. As the weather got colder, she stole jackets from farmhouses when she could, then coats when it snowed. And she _never_ set foot into a town.

She was running north, her inner compass told her as much. But she didn't change course; her instincts told her north was safe. Her instincts were also what kept her running. Always running. Never stopping for more than a few hours.

Finally, the urge to run faded, and she stopped, then set up a territory in the forest she found herself in. Found a cave hidden by brush, near a stream. She found some moss around her territory, and used it as bedding, along with old scrapped clothes and some animal furs.

Every day, Kuga would patrol her territory's perimeter, checking for intruders. Other predators soon learned to stay away, as she fought them out of _her_ territory. She avoided the humans, letting them stay in her territory out of wariness; she didn't know if they'd be able to hurt her, and she didn't really want to find out, either.

And not once in those 6 months did Kuga notice how far she had slipped into her feral persona.

* * *

**~Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters~**

Professor Charles Xavier had called an early-morning meeting in the War Room, including only the active X-Men. Logan, a.k.a. Wolverine, was the last to arrive, and when he did, he leaned against the wall near the door.

Xavier smiled at the mutants surrounding him; Scott, Hank, Jean, Ororo, Kurt, Bobby, Warren, Kitty, Jubilee, Peter, and Logan.

"Thank you for coming," the professor said in greeting.

"What's going on, Professor?" Jean asked.

"I have a mission for you."

Jubilee grinned. "Does it involve kicking bad guy a- er…butt?" the teen asked, catching herself after a glance at Logan, who had thrown her a sharp look.

"No, it doesn't," Charles replied, chuckling.

"Aww…" Charles, Scott, Hank, Jean, Ororo and Peter smiled as Bobby, Kitty, and Jubilee pouted.

"For a few months, Cerebro has been picking up a young mutant's signature. I could only gather enough to tell this mutant is a feral, but it appears their feral side has taken over. I have been unable to get a lock on them."

Everyone glanced at Logan when Charles said 'feral,' but no one said anything.

"Do you know the area this feral is in?" Logan asked unexpectedly. His dark eyes bore into the wheel-chair-bound man, who just gazed calmly back.

"I have narrowed it down to southern Canada. I believe the mutant is in or near the Canadian Rockies," Xavier replied. Logan narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything more.

"Logan, I wish for you to lead a team after this mutant."

The gathered X-Men gaped at the telepath, shocked. Scott was the first one to break the stunned silence.

"Professor, you can't be serious!" he cried.

"I am perfectly serious, Scott."

"You can't send him as leader of this mission!"

"You doubtin' my ability ta lead, One-eye?" Logan growled. Scott glared at the feral.

"No. I'm doubting your ability to keep your head on straight," he retorted, before turning back to Charles. "Sir, you know how Logan gets when he gets near another feral," he said desperately.

"No, we know how he gets when he's near Victor Creed," was the calm reply. "Logan is the best tracker we have, and he knows the Rockies."

"But-"

"I'll do it. But I wanna pick my team," Logan cut in. Xavier nodded complacently.

"You may want to take sedatives with you," the professor warned.

"Right." The feral looked over the group before he made a decision. "...Beast, Colossus, 'Crawler, and Storm." Charles nodded and rolled out of the War Room, with most of the team following. Logan's chosen team and Scott stayed.

Scott looked furious. "You're taking most of our fire-power," he growled.

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Kid, there's a potentially dangerous feral mutant in the mountains 'a Canada. Ferals're strong. I'm gonna need all the fire-power I can get." Then he smirked slightly. "'Sides, I should think ya can defend the mansion with the team ya have."

The other man looked like he wanted to argue more, but instead he stormed out of the room. Logan snorted, turning to his chosen team.

"Fur-ball, get the tranks," Logan ordered. "'Ro, yer pilot. Rest 'a ya, we need ta get a sturdy cell on the 'Bird. If this mutant is controlled by his feral side, he ain't gonna take well ta bein' 'napped from his territory, and he's gonna fight. Then pack for cold weather hikin'."

"Alright," the group resounded. Ororo went to prepare the Blackbird, Hank got the tranquilizers, and the rest went to find a suitable (transportable) cell.

By noon, Logan and his team were ready to head out. Charles told Logan he would stay in contact using Cerebro, and also try to pinpoint the feral's signature.

* * *

**~Wilds of Canada~**

Kuga growled as the wind blew into her den, bringing with it a scent she'd not come across before, waking her up when she had just bedded down. It smelt like blood, but earthier, and fire, and a raw stench of human-fire-start. Her first thought was '_human-fire-stick,'_ but she quickly discarded it. Sure, the scents were similar, but this new scent was more like sky, rather than quick-hurt-ears-fire.

Curious, the queen of the territory eased out of her den and into the trees. She stealthily jumped from branch to branch, searching out the blood-earth-fire-sky smell.

'_Curiosity killed the cougar,'_ a small, familiar voice whispered in the back of Kuga's head. She stopped, surprised.

'_Voice-in-head not heard for moons,'_ she thought, confused. If she hadn't heard the voice for moons, why would it suddenly pop up now?

Just when she was getting ready to head back to her den, a loud roar sounded from the sky, and the blood-earth-fire-sky smell became overbearingly strong. Kuga, startled, nearly fell out of the tree, but managed to find her balance just in time. She crawled closer to the trunk of the bee-stinger-tree, looking at the clouds.

She growled as a large blood-earth-bird appeared out of nowhere, dropping down below the trees.

The forest was unusually silent as Kuga leapt from one tree to another, getting closer and closer to the edge of her territory. She stopped and sniffed the air, and a growl worked its way out. A squirrel that had taken refuge in a hole in the trunk scrambled out and ran off, terrified.

Kuga ignored the easy prey as rage built up. Someone had invaded her territory. _Her_ territory. Another predator. Male. He should know the rule about territories.

More scents stopped her from challenging the other. Another growl forced its way out of her chest. A predator had brought his _pack_ into _her_ territory. She raced through the trees, rage giving her speed. Kuga stayed downwind, making sure she could figure out where the pack was, but they wouldn't know where she was.

When she arrived at the outskirts of the clearing that the intruder-pack was, Kuga quickly figured out the pack order. Pack order depended on how healthy the pack member was, and their strength. She picked her target and attacked, claws extended.

Her target, a female human with snow-white head-fur, was pushed out of Kuga's path by a large shiny-blood-earth man. Kuga and the shiny-blood-earth man went down in a tumble of limbs and rolled. Kuga threw the shiny-blood-earth man off her mid-roll, and came up on her feet, crouched, fangs bared, claws fully-extended.

Snow-fur-lady was standing near short-blood-earth-scented-man. Large-blue-fur-man took a few steps toward Kuga. She snarled dangerously and lashed out, causing large-blue-fur-man backed up quickly. Shiny-blood-earth-man was being helped up by blue-spike-tailed-man.

Kuga looked around. Rock-bird was watching the group silently, its beak open. The intruder-pack was surrounding her in a half circle. The only way to escape was to take one of the intruder-pack down, or leave her territory. If she left, then the intruder-pack would own it. If she took one down, the intruder-pack would hunt her.

"Hank, get the sedatives," snow-fur-lady called out. Kuga watched as large-blue-fur-man nodded and ran into the blood-earth-bird's open beak, letting it eat him.

'_Idiot.'_

She was more than surprised when large-blue-fur-man came back out of the blood-earth-bird unharmed. She was scared now. So she did the only thing one would do in her situation.

Kuga ran at blue-spike-tail-man and jumped over him, landing on all fours. She used that to propel herself across the snowy ground, through trees, and up a large cliff.

Kuga could hear someone following her. A quick look back revealed it to be short-blood-earth-scented-man. He was keeping pace with her? How?

Her confusion turned to anger. She turned around mid-bound so she was facing short-angry-blood-earth-man, who stopped with a slide much like the one she did when she landed.

"Easy, girl," short -blood-earth-scented-man said. His gruff, deep voice was soft, the voice one used to speak to a spooked animal. Kuga just snarled.

"I don't wanna hurt ya, kid," he warned softly. Kuga snarled louder before attacking. Shiny-blood-earth-claws ripped out of the man's paws. The younger feral froze, shocked. Short-blood-earth-scented-man used that moment of frozen shock to knock her over the head hard enough to send her into unconsciousness.

* * *

**Yeah, short chapter. Sorry! But, I didn't wanna draw it out any more than I already did... Here's a translation of Kuga's way of looking at things:**

human-fire-stick= gun  
quick-hurt-ears-fire= explosion/gunshot  
human-fire-start= gas/gunpowder  
voice-in-head= human-self/conscience  
moons= months (cycles of the moon)  
blood-earth= metal  
blood-earth-bird= planes/jets (in this case, the Blackbird)

**If you need help figuring out who is who in that last bit, just PM me, or review, and I'll clarify for ya's.**

**Going back to Kuga fighting with one of my other muses... I have 3 (but sooo many more that influence my personality. They're why my mood can change on a dime!). Kuga is my muse for X-Men (I guess...), and Kailyn and Sylvia are my muses for Final Fantasy 8. Well... Sylv likes taunting people (which I find strange. I mean, in my FF8 fanfic, she _hates_ bullies...).**

**Well...Sylv isn't about to taunt Kai (since they're twins an' all...) so she teases and taunts Kuga. You know how things turn out when Victor starts taunting Logan... That's pretty much what happens. Damn, I wish I could shove them into their own separate rooms so they never look at each other again! DX**

**In other news: SCHOOL'S OUT FOR THE SUMMER! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! WHOOT! And I may have a job. Did my interview today (5/23/12). I'll find out sometime next week if I have a job... Pray for me!**


	4. Chapter 4: The Human and The Feral

Oh, God, guys! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize how quickly time flew by! I couldn't get to a computer, so I didn't really get time to type anything, since Mom and Dad and Brother hogged the laptop. And I got a full time summer job, so that's been taking out a big chunk of my time… I did write a **lot** during lunch breaks and such, though, so I should have at least two chapters ready to be typed down. And I used my money to buy a laptop of my own! So now I can spend all night typing stories instead of reading others' stories! XD Not really, but I will spend my reading time typing now, since I have a lot to type!

I have gone back and changed a few things to the previous chapters (i.e. Rogue isn't at the meeting. You'll see why in later chapters. Hope you like my take on things!).

Anyway, I hope I keep the characters in character, since it's been a while… And I really hope you like this chapter! Thanks to all my loyal readers and reviewers! Your support does me wonders!

On to the (long overdue) chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Human and the Feral**

"**You can cage an animal, but you can't take away the rage." –Shinedown, **_**Heroes**_

**The Cougar** was on her feet, crouched with fangs bared and claws extended the moment she was awake. A growl rumbled deep in her chest as she looked around, taking in her surroundings.

White stone surrounded her in an unnatural cave. Bright not-sun-light lit up the strange cave, and an odd nest-bed was on her left, long, thin, and straight. A strange blood-earth-rock was set in the strange cave wall. It was the same shape as the nest-bed. A smaller nest-bed shape was carved out near the top, with shiny-solid-air covering it.

Cougar warily neared the blood-earth-rock, ready to spring back in case anything should try attacking her. She crouched against the cave-wall on one side of the rock, then slowly straightened, keeping her back against the cave-wall. When nothing happened, she cautiously peered through the shiny-solid-air, which was just above her eye level.

Three people were gathered on the other side of the blood-earth-rock. One, she noticed, had fire-colored-head-fur. A second was sitting in a strange moving chair and had no head-fur. The third was standing, like the first, but he had black head-fur.

Cougar did a double-take. Her feral mind didn't keep memories the same way as her human mind; rather, she remembered sights, feelings, scents instead of the entire scenario. However, the sight of the black-head-fur-man sparked recognition which in turn led to anger.

'_Black-head-fur-man was in territory! Running, being chased, pain, blackness…'_

A loud snarl tore through her throat as she realized where she'd seen the man. Her short neck-fur rose in imitation of a wolf's hackles rising.

Cougar easily slid back to the wall she woke up against, in front of the blood-earth-rock. After studying it for weaknesses for a few short moments, the Feral attacked it. An awful screech sounded as her claws tried to tear into the blood-earth-rock and shiny-solid-air, but neither gave way. It didn't stop her from continuing her attack, though.

The feral was overtaken by two intense feelings; the need to get out and in fresh air, and the need to take the blood of the black-head-fur-man. Her inner self _demanded_ the man's blood as repayment for taking her from her territory and trapping her in this unnatural cave.

Every so often, Cougar would take a break to allow her claws and fingertips to heal before continuing her desperate attempt at freedom. When she took those short breaks, she'd look out the shiny-solid-air and glare at the black-head-fur-man. The three humans had turned at some point and were watching her.

Eventually, the young feral got too tired to continue her anger-fueled-attack. She growled at the clawed-up blood-earth-rock, as if angered it hadn't bowed to her wishes, but gave up for the time being. Cougar looked out the shiny-solid-air and noticed black-head-fur-man was closer, and alone. She bared her fangs and hissed at him, but didn't attempt to get him. Shiny-solid-air and blood-earth-rock would have protected him.

Instead, Cougar deliberately turned her back to the blood-earth-rock and went to examine the nest-bed. She gave it a good sniff to decide if she should sleep on it, but in the end decided to tear off the bedding and make a nest in the far corner of the room. She faced the blood-earth-rock as she curled up in her nest-bed, not trusting it or the humans on the other side.

She finally nodded off into a light, but restful, sleep.

* * *

**Logan's head** snapped toward the cell holding the young teen as a screeching sound resonated in the room. He could see the cub attacking the door, flashes of clawed hands, glimpses of grey-brown hair and a snarl curling her lips. Jean and the Professor were also watching her.

"…What is she doing?" Jean asked after a few minutes. Logan crossed his arms as he watched the teen.

"Cub's tryin' ta either get out and back ta her territory, or get out ta attack someone, likely me. Probably a mix a' the two," he replied without taking his eyes off the cell. The screeching stopped, but started up again a few minutes later, almost as if the young Feral was gathering her energy.

Logan noticed the cub backed away from the door a bit and was glaring directly at him.

"Shouldn't we sedate her?"

The Feral snorted. "If ya want her even _more_ pissed at us, go right ahead. I'd jus' let 'er get it outta her system."

"Her Feral side is in complete control," Charles clarified for the woman. "She feels the need to protect her territory, so being forcefully removed from it… It's hard for her."

"Closest thing I can think of is a tech geek getting' his tech taken," Logan added. "Fer Ferals, our territory is the most important thing, second only ta our mates."

"I see. So, how will we suppress the Feral to let the human control?" Jean looked at the two men questioningly while the screeching stopped again. Once more, it continued again after a few minutes.

"Ya gotta let 'er get control on 'er own," Logan responded. "Otherwise the cub'll never learn how ta control the beast. Ya don' want another Sabretooth runnin' around, do ya?"

"Point taken. But we can help her gain control, can't we?" Logan just shrugged.

"We can try," Xavier said. "We'll start in the morning. Let's leave her to adjust to her surroundings for now."

Logan moved to look into the holding cell and watch the cub while Xavier and Jean left. He needed to see what he was dealing with. There weren't many Ferals that he'd encountered.

He watched her closely, and Logan couldn't help noting how similar she was to Creed. Sabretooth and the cub both had similar movements, more like prowling than anything, and they had the same cat-like grace. Their build was also similar: both were built like big cats, with well-muscled shoulders and legs, not to mention their claws.

Even with the glaring similarities, the differences were just as obvious. The cub was leaner with less muscle. She was faster, probably due to her build leaning more toward speed than strength. And her animal wasn't looking to spill as much blood as possible.

Logan noticed her claws were broken and bleeding when she next pulled away. He was about to call Hank when he noticed the blood flow had stopped.

'_She's got a healing factor…_' he realized with a measure of surprise. _'That's why she'd stopped earlier. She was waitin' fer her claws ta heal up.'_

The cub bared her fangs at him before turning her back to him and examining the bed. Logan chuckled at that as he left the room.

'_Cub's tryin' to show that she don't consider me a threat,'_ he thought, amused. _'Or she knows that door won't let 'er out and realized I won't attack 'er. She's lucky we found 'er before another Feral did…"_

Logan went to the Prof's office and told him what he found out about the young Feral.

* * *

**After a few** days, Cougar realized the three people weren't trying to hurt her. No strange smells came from her food or water. She was about as safe as she could feel outside her territory.

'_Let me out,'_ voice-in-head whispered. Cougar was reluctant to hand over control and go back in that cage, but she relented.

'_Cougar ready to break out if voice-in-head, partner-of-mind-and-soul needs help,'_ the Feral growled before slinking into the cage. She smugly noted how loose the chains binding her were.

Kuga woke up slowly, only to snap awake when she didn't recognize her surroundings. She opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a croak.

'_Where am I…? How did I get here? How long has it been since I talked? …What didja get yerself into, Cougs?'_ The teen scanned her memories, trying to see what could have led her to be in that almost painfully white room with its scratched metal door.

The last complete memory she could find was running out of her town with the MCA on her trail.

'_Oh, God… Mutant Control got me! They caught me and now I'm gonna be used as a God-damn guinea pig!'_

Frantically, Kuga looked for a way out, but the only entrance or exit was the scratched-up door. The door that was slowly opening. She froze as a shadowy figure blocked the window in the door. Waiting for the door to open fully, to reveal who was sent to experiment on her.

A woman with red hair entered the room cautiously, followed by a man with black hair styled to look almost like wolf ears. The red-head was smiling kindly, while the man looked to be angry about… something. But, somehow, Kuga knew that was how he usually looked.

The teen took in their scents with silent sniffs. The woman smelled like spring flowers, books, and fire. The man smelled of sweat (a scent, she knew, that most men who exercised often had), metal, blood, cigars, beer, and the musky scent of mountains and forests.

Kuga relaxed slightly. They didn't smell like they were going to hurt her… And she could smell other people, children and young teens, on their scents.

* * *

**Logan** knew Chuck wanted to talk to the cub, he 'sensed' when her human half was put back in control. He knew it was important to get her to stay in the mansion. But he didn't think it was a good idea to put her back in classes until she had better control. He knew from experience it was harder to remain in control after spending any amount of time with the Beast in charge.

Logan could smell the change in her scent. Instead of the wild musk of forest, she smelt predominantly like the air after a rain shower. The wild musk was still there, though. It always was with Feral mutants. But, the stench of fear tainted her scent, driving the Wolverine into a rage. It wanted to find what scared the cub so much and tear it apart. He knew it was him and Jean that had scared her, so it wouldn't do much good to tear either of them apart. He took a deep breath and forced the Wolverine back, trying to think through the dark haze clouding his mind.

When he looked up again, the other Feral was staring at him. He was forced to take another deep breath when her fear spiked, probably smelling his rage. He looked into the cub's tiger gold eyes. They were so clear; he could almost read her thoughts.

_Who are you? What do you want? Why am I here? Where is 'here?'_ her eyes asked him. She looked at him, meeting his eyes for a few moments more before looking down.

"Hello," Jean said softly. The cub snapped her eyes to the telepath, startled. Jean smiled. "My name is Jean Grey and this is Logan. We're teachers at the school for mutants."

Jean motioned to the dark-haired man, who nodded. The cub's eyes darted over to him before returning to the woman. She seemed to be challenging the two adults, questioning what school that was.

"There's someone who would like to talk to you. He will gladly answer any questions you have. If you would follow us…"

The cub was afraid, wasn't ready to trust them.

"Listen, cub, we ain't gonna hurtcha," Logan spoke. The girl looked at him sharply. Oh, how he could use a smoke right about now…

"We just have some questions, and you can ask some questions. If you don't feel you want to stay, you can leave after the Professor has answered any questions," Jean said. Logan had heard that said so many times, to so many young mutants, yet somehow the telepath managed to make it sound sincere rather than rehearsed.

Logan's keen ears picked up the sound of the cub's stomach growling, and chuckled softly. The two females glared at him, but he brushed it off. "You'll get some food, too, if ya want," he offered with another soft chuckle.

That seemed to be the magic phrase, because the cub slowly moved toward them. She followed the two adults through the school, looking everywhere.

'_Prob'ly lookin' fer easy ways ta get outta the buildin' if things get hairy,' _Logan mused. That's what he'd do in her situation.

When they got to Xavier's office, the young Feral stopped outside the door uncertainly. Logan chuckled again and leaned against one of the walls.

* * *

**Kuga** looked at the oak double-doors, uncertainty warring with her natural curiosity. She wanted to meet this 'Professor' and find out about the school.

'_I mean, what school has detainment cells in the basement?'_

In reality, she wanted to get as far from that place as possible, to run and not stop.

"_**Come in, child. I have been looking forward to meeting you,"**_ a voice murmured in her head. A startled growl erupted from her throat as Kuga looked around for the speaker.

"Over here, child. I am Professor Charles Xavier," a bald man seated behind the big black cherry desk said. He smiled kindly as the Feral walked in.

"I founded this school for mutants, so they may learn to control their powers in safety, as well as get an education away from the hate crimes that would plague them in normal schools," Professor Xavier said.

'_What happens when Mutant Control comes knocking?'_ she thought darkly.

"What is your name?" the man asked curiously.

After a few tries, she managed to croak out, "Kuga Talonson."

"It's very nice to meet you, Ms. Talonson."

"Where are we?" Kuga rasped.

"Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters in Westchester New York," was the patient reply.

'_New York! That's nowhere __**near**__ Missouri!'_

The rest of the night was spent telling the three adults what she knew happened, and them speculating what happened after. Then they spent a while explaining to Kuga what the difference between a Feral mutant and a regular mutant. Logan told her what he experienced, and Xavier added in what he observed.

After that, Jean took her to the kitchen, where they made a large dinner for the teen. Jean also showed her to the room that was to be hers if she so chose to stay. It was near Logan's. "In case you should have problems," Jean had explained.

Kuga also ended up with some old clothes from students who had graduated. After Jean left, Kuga took a nice hot shower. She didn't have a clue how long it had been since she showered, but the feel of soap and water on her skin was heaven on Earth.

Finally, clothed in an old nightgown of Jean's, Kuga collapsed on the large fluffy bed and drifted to sleep, wondering what the future would bring.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry again about the long wait! If I had my way, this chapter would be so much longer, but the next part would be best put in its own chapter… I'll have the next chapter out by the weekend, Scouts' Honor!**

**One more thing before I go. Does anyone read these author notes?**

**Please review and tell me how the chapter was.**

_Or yell at her for taking so damn long! Or both!_

**Love you too, Cougs. Alright. I gotta go. I have work in the morning. Sorry again for taking so long!**

**Risika**


	5. Chapter 5: I Disappear

**I FEEL SO LOVED! This story has become my MOST successful one! And with only 4 chapters to its name! (Well, now 5, but you know what I mean.) Already, **_**Feral Trauma**_** has been put on the Favorites List of 17 people, the Alerts List of 27 people, has 16 reviews, and has been put in a Community!**

**My (as of yet) longest story with 32 chapters, **_**We Made a Wish and It Came True,**_** a Final Fantasy VIII fanfic, has been put on 3 Favorites Lists, 5 Alerts Lists, and only has 30 reviews! That's not even one review per chapter!**

**If I would have known how successful writing in this fandom would be… *shakes head in awe* I honestly didn't know how well this story would be when I started writing it… I just started writing it because (I'm being completely honest here) I want to be a Feral mutie. How awesome would it be to have the reflexes of a cat and senses even sharper than a bloodhound? But, no, this isn't a SI. Kuga's character is even more of a loner, and **_**way**_** more pissy, than I am.**

**One last thing before I move on to the chapter:**

**Tolovea DeMon**: I would have replied last chapter, but I wanted to get it out… So here is my reply to your review for chapter 3:

I am honored you think so. I mean, have you _seen_ how many **X-Men: The Move** fanfics there _are?_ Last I checked, there were almost 14,900 fics! I'm also glad you like my writing.  
Yes, Kuga's gonna get a code name. Maybe you've already figured it out? Yes, her inner Feral Beast is a Cougar, or mountain lion, or similar big cat. Like Sabretooth's is a lion from the African Savannah. (Look at the guy's character in the animated cartoon **X-Men: Evolution**! He looks like a lion! Not a saber-toothed cat.)  
Don't worry, I often ask a bunch of questions when reading other's fics, too. I'm glad you like it. And, I am planning on seeing more reviews. (look at what I said above! I didn't expect so much publicity!)  
I hope you review again! (you should get an account so I can PM you replies to reviews! ;D)

**So, what do you guys think her code name is gonna be? XD**

**Like I promised, here's the next update! I hope you like it!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: I Disappear**

"**To run away from trouble is a form of cowardice and, while it is true that the suicide braves death, he does it not for some noble object but to escape some ill.****" –Aristotle**

* * *

_She was in a white room. Again. Correction Kuga sniffed the air;_ _she was in the __**same **__room as the one she'd been in when she woke up._

'Why am I here?' _she asked herself. She didn't have an answer._

_After waiting patiently for a while, Kuga started getting a bit antsy. Why wasn't anyone coming? The people she met earlier didn't seem like the type to just throw someone in a cell, and definitely not the type to leave said person in said cell without going down to talk to them._

_Then again, what did she __**really**__ know about those people?_

'Nothin', that's what,' _Kuga answered herself._

_She started getting really nervous, and began pacing the cell. She could feel her animal, ready to rip off the chains holding it back. Maybe it was her fear that was provoking it? It could have also been the cage. Animals don't react well to being caged…_

_Eventually, the man with the black hair, the red head, and the bald paralyzed man came to the window. Logan, Jean, and Professor Xavier? Yeah, that was their names…_

_Kuga moved to plead to be let out, but found she couldn't move. Her scared golden eyes looked at the three mutants in the window, asking them mentally why she was in the cell. Why she couldn't move… She had a feeling it was one of the telepaths, probably the female._

_The cell door opened, and they walked in. The Professor stopped in front of Kuga, and Logan was behind him, slightly to the left. Jean stood at the Professor's right._

_Quietly, Kuga asked, "Why am I here? Why won't you let me go?" Even to herself, she sounded… defeated… like she'd lost hope._

_She stood in the cell, waiting for the answer to her questions and unable to back up from the people who have become a threat. Tears born of despair and loss of faith in the world started to roll down her cheeks from dark ocher eyes. The Cougar wanted out, was so close to tearing through the cage she was trapped in, so she could teach these __**frails**__ what happened to those who threatened her partner-of-mind-and-soul._

"_I'm sorry, Kuga," the Professor started, sounding anything but, "A mutant like yourself is just too dangerous to keep near children."_

_Kuga stared at the bald and paralyzed telepath, unable to find her voice. Finally, she choked out a quiet, "…what?"_

"_You are going to have to stay here until we have decided what to do with you," Charles continued._

_She couldn't __**believe**__ this! After escaping Mutant Control and evading detection for God knows __**how**__ long, she thought she had found a sanctuary, a place she would be able to relax, to stop running. Then __**this **__happens?!_

_Wait…__**WHAT?**_'Until they've decided… That could be **months! Years!'** _Kuga mentally screamed._

_Being caged __**never**__ sat well with her, or any Feral or animal. Suddenly, all of her despair changed to anger, her fear to hate._

_She glanced at the only other Feral in the cell. Logan was silent, standing behind Xavier with his arms crossed. In the back of her head, Kuga noted he managed to pull off the look of a bodyguard quiet well, even with a freaking cowboy hat on his head and cowboy boots on. His dark brown eyes held none of the warmth she'd seen last night. Instead, they were as cold as the arctic waters. The same held true for Jean's normally expressive emerald eyes._

_No help would come from them._

'Years…stuck in a tiny cell, with no fresh air? Years, where the others would watch me warily, waitin' for the attack they're sure's gonna come?'_ Kuga suddenly realized what being 'jailed' at this 'Institute' would mean._

"_NO!" she screamed. "I won't!"_

'I won't allow myself ta be caged like an effin' tiger that killed a person!'

'Lemme show these frails what it means ta try herdin' a Feral!' _Cougar demanded. Kuga was surprised at how enticing that sounded… how bloodthirsty she was, and it wasn't just her beast. __**She**__ wanted to see the three in front of her hurt._

_So she gave in. Closed her eyes and gave up control, knowing her beast would be harder for the telepath's to read. When her eyes opened, they were black as pitch._

_The Cougar was ecstatic to be willingly granted control. Her partner-of-mind-and-soul has __**never**__ willingly allowed her control be taken from her. As she laid her obsidian orbs on the frails, she gave them a predatory grin that was purely Feral. She felt the fire-furred frail's hold slip, and her grin grew wider._

_She leapt, claws aiming for the frail's throat._

* * *

Kuga snapped her eyes open, a scream tearing through her throat as she shot up. It took her a few minutes, but the teen finally realized where she was.

She was in the bed of the room she'd been given for the duration of her stay. She was safe; not being kept in the cell.

"I-it was just a nightmare… just a nightmare…" she mumbled as she leaned forward, clutching her hair tightly as she tried to settle her speeding heart and even out her breathing, which was still fast.

However, no matter how many times she repeated the mantra to herself, doubt wormed its way into her head, questioning things.

'…_What if they __**do**__ lock me up…? What will I do…?'_

Kuga shuddered, remembering the feeling of being trapped in that tiny cell. Determination coursed through her being, strengthened by the beast inside her, which had woken up at its partner-of-mind-and-soul's distress.

'_No. They won't. They __**can't**__. I won't give them the chance!'_

With that thought, Kuga flew out of the bed and grabbed a small duffel bag that had been left in the closet. Bag in hand, the young Feral tore into the dresser, grabbing the few items of clothing that were stored there. Most were one-size-fits-all, but there were a few pairs of jeans or jean shorts that were given to her by Jean after the red-head checked her size.

She shoved the clothes in the duffel bag, and stripped, before clothing herself in a randomly picked shirt and jean shorts combo. She pulled on her shoes, put the nightgown on the bed (it was Jean's after all. The other clothes were hand-me-downs, clothes the other Institute's residents had outgrown), and zipped the bag.

With one last look around, Kuga opened the window and looked down. Not too far of a drop. She was almost certain she'd fallen out of trees higher than that. She threw the strap of the bag over her head and made sure it wouldn't get caught on anything before she jumped onto the lawn.

The teen ran across the manicured lawn on all fours, slightly surprised at how much speed she got, even with the duffel bag, but pushing that aside until later.

Right now, she had to get away from the mansion.

* * *

**Hello, beautifuls! I told you I'd get the next chapter out by the end of the weekend. It's actually a bit earlier, but hey, I kept my promise!**

…**I hope y'all like it… The dream sorta came to me when I was at work, painting the siding of a building. No clue why, though… seemed kinda angsty to me… Then again, Kuga **_**had**_** just come back in control, only to find herself in a cell… So the nightmare was born of that and her fear of being caged… a natural fear when you're Feral and, as such, part animal. Wild animals don't like being caged, as mentioned multiple times in the past few chapters (this one especially).**

**Now, some of you may be thinking, 'Is Kuga **_**stupid**_** or something? Why didn't she stay at Xavier's?' Well, she ain't in her right mind. She's been Feral for the past 6 months, and thus her beast is still too close for much control. That's its fight-flight instinct. But if you thought **_**that**_** was crazy, wait until next chapter… :D**

**I guess I'm gonna have at least 1,500 words per chapter. The body of this one is not as long as it could be, but I needed to save the rest of what I've got written, because it all needs to go in one chapter, or I'll be thrown off. (And it just works better that way). (And it was a good stopping point.) To be honest, when typing this up, I actually added more to it...**

**So…Um…I'm kinda iffy on this and the next part… but I hardly ever am completely confident in my writings. Everyone says I'm good, but it could be so much better… So…did you like it? Please tell me if I should change it…**

**Risika**


	6. Chapter 6: Meeting a Sabretoothed Lion

A/N: Ooohhh….I'm sorry, guys! I've been so busy, and I couldn't find the time to type anything up! XP I mean, I could probably have typed at night, when I'm supposed to be asleep, but I've been going to bed around 9 as opposed to the usual 11 or 12 o'clock… And there's that little fact that I've started school again (Senior year in high school!)… Updates may not be as quick to come as they've been in the past few weeks…

_**I have a poll up on my profile. Please take a few seconds to complete this poll! It is important, because the results will help determine the path this story will take!**_

* * *

**Chapter 6: Meeting a Sabretoothed Lion  
or  
In Which Kuga Totally Loses It**

**"He is a man of courage who does not run away, but remains at his post and fights against the enemy." -Socrates**

* * *

She knew she was lost; Kuga had never visited New York before. The only city she knew of was New York City and its capital, Albany. But no matter what she told herself, the young Feral couldn't bring herself to follow her scent trail back to Xavier's. So she pressed on.

Kuga ran until she reached a town. Well, she'd passed through a few towns, but this one smelled like river, the scent helping to calm her unreasonable fear. The whole time she had to fight the Cougar for control; the beast thought _she_ would be better in a situation like this because she knew how to stay hidden. The teen didn't give up, though. She just kept running through towns and streets, denying the beast freedom.

She knew she was in trouble when an expensive black car parked on the curb of the empty street she was traveling down. Kuga knew it was expensive because it had a 3-D Jaguar hood ornament, and she reasoned the car was a Jaguar based on it. She didn't really know a lot about cars, just that she wanted a Dodge Durango, one of the older models.

She stared at the spot she knew the driver was sitting; she couldn't see him because it was dark and the windows were blacked out. After a few seconds, Kuga felt a shiver go down her spine. There was a dangerous person in that car, and something told her that person wanted _her_. She didn't know what for, and she didn't want to find out.

The driver's side door opened just as Kuga was about to turn tail and flee. She froze as the wind carried his—it was definitely male—scent to her. If any other man had stepped out, with maybe a few exceptions, she'd've been off like a startled rabbit. But the scent of old blood, pine, dirt, mint, and man froze her solid. Faintly, she could smell something else, something familiar, but she couldn't figure out what it was.

A second later, out stepped what could possibly have been _the_ largest man she'd ever seen. It wasn't just his physical size that made him so large, though that helped immensely; he had this personal aura of largeness. It almost overwhelmed the poor teen. If _that_ didn't, the man's looks sure would.

His eyes were blue-grey and his dark hair was cropped short; military, she surmised, but his muttonchops made her think otherwise. (In the military, you can only have a mustache, and a small one at that.) He wore black clothes and combat boots, with a faded black trench coat. All in all, he was handsome, in a rough, rugged, and unfinished sort of way.

He didn't appear to have a weapon of any sort, and Kuga couldn't smell any gunpowder, but that didn't mean he wasn't armed. He could easily have a knife sheathed in his boot or something.

Her gaze flickered to his hands as he twitched slightly. She inhaled sharply at the sight of claws instead of nails. Just like her… Kuga met the man's sharp gaze in wonder as he smirked.

After a few heartbeats, the man ordered, "Get in." His voice was enticing, like silk, but there was a sharpness that the teen could only guess came from seeing so much death. She could tell he'd been in a war or two in his life.

However, the order was all she caught, and Kuga narrowed her eyes and growled deep in her chest.

She was young, and still trying to learn how to control her beast. That job was made even harder because of this man who stood in front of her. Even with the human mind in control, she was more animal; a side effect from being Feral for so long. The Cougar was influencing her actions because she herself hadn't been able to push the beast down enough.

Being ordered like that had the Cougar clawing to the surface, fighting fang and claw for control and screaming in anger.

'_**No**__ one, person, mutant, or otherwise, orders us around!'_ she roared. _'Tear lion-man apart! Show him We. Are. Not. SUBMISSIVE!'_

The idea was tempting—so very tempting—to the Feral teen. Instead of following her instincts, though, Kuga took a deep breath, struggling to keep the Cougar back. The beast had given her something to ponder; why had she called him 'lion-man'?

She didn't look in the man's eyes, but over his shoulder, a habit from her childhood. Whenever she had been upset or mad at someone, Kuga would look over the other person's shoulder, trying to distance herself from the stressor. More often than not, it would work.

"I have no reason to listen to you, _sir_," Kuga forced through clenched teeth. Her hands fisted tightly, claws digging into her palms. Blood dripped through her fingers and to the cement, filling the air with its metallic scent.

She saw his nostrils flair and his blue-grey eyes dilated in hunger as a smirk revealed sharp fangs.

"Either get in, or I'll make ya," the man growled. He _wanted_ a reason to attack; the anticipation was thick in his voice.

Kuga's eyes darkened to a shadowed ocher as she met the man's blue-grey gaze. Her slit pupil contracted to a sliver of black as defiance flared in her darkened orbs. She snarled, baring her own fangs in response.

The Cougar fought harder against the chains keeping her back, wanting to teach the beast of a man what happened to those who ordered her or her other half around. Kuga's control slipped a fraction of an inch, allowing the Cougar closer to the surface.

"Fer the record, I offered," the man commented. Anticipation and dark amusement sparkled in his now shadowed gaze. He crouched down, extending his claws as he prepared to fight.

Kuga snarled as the Cougar broke free of the chains holding her back.

* * *

**Logan was** doing his rounds in the institute when a noise caught his attention. It sounded like someone packing…

He doubled back, listening carefully as the sounds grew louder the close he got. They stopped, but he already knew who it was. Logan threw open the door to the cub's room, but he was too late. The window was open, no sign of the girl.

The stench of fear was strong, especially around the bed. _'Nightmare,'_ he realized.

He checked the drawers, but they were all empty. The only thing left was Jean's nightgown the telepath had let the cub borrow. With a growl, Wolverine leapt out of the window, following the cub's scent through the trees. He ran, trying to catch up to her, but she had a head start, and she was running in fear. He knew for a fact fear lent speed to a person.

Growling, the feral headed back to the institute and took Cyke's bike. He wouldn't mind. _'Much,'_ Logan added with a smirk.

The man followed the faint scent of the cub as the wind brought it to him, and he tore down the quiet roads. She was going in a westerly direction, Logan realized, heading towards the Hudson.

'_At least she ain't headin' toward the city. Not yet,'_ he grouched, turning onto the highway. He passed through a few small towns, stopping only to check for the cub's scent and to fuel up the bike. A few late-night drivers yelled at him as he passed them, but he ignored them.

After about 40 minutes of driving, Wolverine found himself in Peekskill, a small-ish town on the Hudson River. He casted his senses out, searching for the cub's scent. She was close, her scent strong in the air.

He parked the motorcycle in a park, somewhere easy to get to should he need a quick getaway, but hidden from casual observers. Once that was done, the Feral took off, following the cub's sweet scent. He was crossing a street when a challenging scream—he almost mistook it for a mountain lion's—tore through the air, followed by a deeper, familiar lion-like roar.

Wolverine's nostrils flared as a dark growl rumbled in his chest. "Sabretooth," he spat, heading in the most direct route toward the challenges as he broke into a run.

* * *

**I owe everyone a great big apology. I would have gotten this out last weekend, but I didn't have time to type anything. School had started that Thursday, and my last day of work was Wednesday. I had chores to do, and I was soo tired… But that doesn't excuse the fact I promised some of you I'd get it out last weekend.**

**And I apologize for the short chapter. I didn't want to break up the next part, so I broke it off there…**

**Once again, I apologize. And please check out the poll. I need your opinions… Thank you for your kind reviews! Those actually encouraged me to get this one typed as fast as I did. But...I'm not happy with it... It seems...dull. Like it's missing something...**

**I'll get started on the next chapter ASAP.**

**Risika**

Edit: I fixed a grammar mistake. Thanks for spotting it, Hoovesahoy! (Yeah, that'd make me smirk, too.) So, if some to the line breaks are missing, it's because it's 1 in the morning and I am to freaking lazy to go through and deal with that crap right now.


	7. Chapter 7: Bellum Cum Iumento

**A/N: I'm back! I hope this chapter meets what's (hopefully) become expected of me... **

**I do believe that your questions will be answered in this chapter, Kamaria Jay and UKJ. And thanks for taking the time to review! ;)**

**The title is Latin. n.n See you at the bottom!**

**Chapter 7: **_Bellum Cum Iumento_**  
****Or  
****Battle with a Beast**

**"Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold." –Helen Keller**

* * *

The Cougar gave lion-man a grin. She was enjoying this fight _much_ more than she had those territory battles. If his grin was anything to go by, lion-man was enjoying the fight as much, if not more than her.

But… she could feel her partner-in-body-and-soul, her human half. The part of her that needed to be sheltered, protected. Her partner-in-body-and-soul was confused.

'_Why are you enjoying this so much?'_ her mind-voice questioned. The Feral couldn't answer her. There _was_ no answer to a question like that. It just was.

A loud animalistic growl brought Cougar back to the here-and-now. She saw the large clawed paw moving toward her head, aiming to either knock out or kill her. She jumped back, evading the claw-swipe by mere breaths. Lunging forward, she sunk her own claws into his large bicep, ripping through the muscle underneath. Lion-man roared, lashing out again. His claws caught her face, tearing the delicate skin of her cheek and across the bridge of her nose.

The smaller of the Ferals snarled at her opponent, jumping back and landing on her hands and feet. She used the leverage it gave her to run behind lion-man as he charged her. Before he could turn his bulk around, the Cougar had leapt on his back, claws extended and hooking into his broad shoulders. Her fangs found purchase in the back of his neck, around his spine.

The sweet, metallic taste of blood splashed into her mouth as lion-man froze with a sharp inhale. He shifted, and a dangerous growl erupted from Cougar's throat as she bit down harder, her fangs digging into his vertebrae.

"…Stupid, god-damn cub," lion-man growled, his voice filled with dark amusement. "I can't die."

The _Cougar_ didn't know what that implied, but _Kuga_ did. The human was…startled, like prey when Cougar suddenly appeared in front of it.

Once again, the young female was brought back to the here-and-now as the man snagged Cougar by her shirt, his claws scratching her back. Once he had a good grip, he ripped her off his back, seemingly uncaring as her teeth and claws tore out chunks of flesh. His blood ran in tiny rivers down his body, filling the air with its sweetly metallic scent.

Lion-man threw her into a wall; she yelped then fell limp as her head hit the brick. Cougar's head was spinning and she was having a hard time breathing as a warm wet spot was forming on the back of her head, right where she'd hit the wall. Warm, sticky liquid ran down the back of her neck. She could smell her blood past the scents of sweat and anger and other unidentifiable emotions.

She was getting dizzy…could only watch helplessly as the man stalked over. Her vision blurred for a moment before clearing again, and the young teen looked into lion-man's blue eyes. His orbs had darkened to almost cobalt, dark promises spinning webs within his irises.

Through the swimming in her head, Cougar realized something as she looked into his amused gaze. He had been…_playing_ with her. He _let_ her claw him, _let_ her attacks injure him! He let her believe she had a chance against him! Let her believe she would have a chance of being the Alpha she had been in her territory!

This was all a game to him… This was his territory, and he had told the young Feral where she stood with him in the most primal of ways. Cougar dropped her gaze from his eyes. She had lost, and she seriously doubted she'd win if she challenged him again.*

Just as lion-man had gotten within swiping-distance, a distant shout distracted them both.

"KUGA!"

The human forced Cougar back at the sound of her name.

Kuga could hear running footsteps coming closer, though they were still blocks away. She shook her head, trying to keep it from swimming, to clear the shock and fuzziness out, but to no avail.

She smelt something, under the scent of blood and sweat and the man [Cougar certainly knew how to name people. He smelt like a lion's exhibit in a zoo!]. Focusing on the scent, it took her a while to put a name to the familiar scent. When she did, a weak growl rose in her throat as Cougar tried getting out again.

'_Claw-man.'_

'_Logan? From the Institute? How'd he find us so quickly?'_ the human mind-spoke. _'Never mind that. Maybe he can help us find a place to heal…'_ Another weak growl rumbled through her.

Kuga could hear Cougar's angry snarling in the back of her head.

'_Claw-man had taken us from our territory-had _**caged**_ us!-and you want his _**help**_?!'_

The growls caused the man to glance back at her. An amused smirk crossed his lips. Kuga couldn't decide if it was her growling that amused the man, or the fight she still had left, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She had to get away and find a safe place to heal; a quiet, dark place, a place where she could calm the Cougar. And since her beast wouldn't let her ask Logan for help, she had to deal on her own.

"KUGA!" the shout came again, closer this time.

She tried to get up, gathering her arms under her body and trying to push her body up. A sharp pain made her gasp as her arms went weak and she fell back to the ground. Panting, Kuga took stock of her pains. The scratches on her face were tingling, as were the ones she'd gotten through the entirety of the relatively short fight. Her head was sore where she'd hit the wall, and her knees were stinging. However, all that was manageable.

Again, she tried getting up, and again the sharp pain stopped her. …Her ribs. That's what hurt so bad. Being thrown against the brick probably cracked-possibly even broke-a few of her ribs. But, being as stubborn as she was, Kuga tried again. This time, a whimper escaped her throat, causing the man to chuckle.

The teen glared at him through tear-filled eyes. He was _laughing _at her _pain!_ It wasn't fair that she was laying there, curled against a wall because of the pain _he _caused, while she hadn't been able to do _anything _to him!

The sudden spice of anger coming off the Feral she had been fighting caused Kuga to snap out of her self-pity. She had time for that later. At the moment, however, she was a bit occupied.

She was stuck against a wall, with a man she can't beat in front of her and another one just a few blocks away. She had no one to help her, she was in pain, and the miasma of anger coming off the man in front of her was turning her own residual anger into fear. Her fight-or-flight instincts were kicking in, and at the moment, she wanted to run. To run and never look back. To get far, far, _far_ away from the tension building on the empty street.

Cougar forced the human back, taking control once again, just like she had when her partner-of-her-mind-and-soul was being hunted.

'_What is this- Musical Chairs or something?'_ the human grouched, fear making her mind-voice waver. Cougar didn't answer, just focused on finding a safe escape route.

A dark growl rumbled deep in lion-man's chest, and a challenge glinted in his nearly-cobalt gaze as claw-man ran out from between two buildings, searching for something.

Cougar knew what that challenge was, being a predator herself. Lion-man was challenging claw-man for the rights to his prey-which just so happened to be Cougar herself. The thought of being _prey_ didn't sit well with her, used to being top predator as she was. But, she knew that to those two predators, the ones that were keeping her from finding a safe place… to them, she _was_ prey. Weaker.

But it wasn't only a challenge she saw. Cougar could see…betrayal? Hurt? Something like that. And it manifested itself into anger; hatred so strong she was left breathless. Lion-man and claw-man must have known each other, and something happened to make lion-man hate the other so much…

"Stay outta this, Runt," lion-man warned as claw-man came closer. Claw-man growled. His own hatred was mixing with lion-man's, feeding to each other, causing it to grow, overwhelm all other thoughts and emotions. Cougar's fear just added to the strained tension.

"Give me th' cub, Creed," claw-man ordered in a low growl.

"She's _mine!_" the other snarled. Claw-man's nostrils flared, and his already dark eyes turned black.

He roared, charging lion-man as blood-earth-claws erupted from his fists.

As any cornered and injured animal would, Cougar took the opening that was presented when the men-with-similar-scents started fighting. She ignored the pain the partner-of-her-mind-and-soul hadn't been able to as she pushed herself up and staggered down the street, using the walls as support. She didn't stop moving when the sky opened and cried on her, nor when she ran out of walls to support herself.

The Feral waded across water, crossed a long, smelly, flat rock, and stumbled through trees until she was sure she was safe, if only for a time. The whole time, she could feel the partner-of-her-mind-and-soul watching, keeping their path in mind. But she didn't try stopping Cougar.

The moon had set and the sky was turning from black to dark grey when the young Feral finally stopped. She looked around until she found a cave large enough for her to curl up in, then dropped off to sleep as the pain, fear, and adrenaline finally hit her.

* * *

*In wolf packs, it is seen as a challenge if one wolf meets another's gaze. If the other wolf is more dominant, it would take that challenge as a threat to his position in the pack. I'd imagine that's how most Ferals (at least the ones like Creed and Logan) would see it.

**Ok, here's the next part. I feel it could be longer... I wanted to save the next bit for later, and this way I can think of more plot points. XP**

**Now, I just wanted to say... I LOVE YOU GUYS! I've been getting a steady stream of favorites/alerts from different people. As of 1 September, at 4:18, I had 22 favorites, 42 followers, and 39 reviews! *mumbles******* (I didn't think I was _that_ good... *n.n*)

**Many special thanks to my regular reviewers, SBPride, 2011Gokurocks18110411, PrincessAnime8, and Djbirdywantstofly.**

**Also to Animals are my Life, Heve-chan, High Lady Nyx, UKJ, Kamaria Jay (hope I got it right...), lilyoftheval5, and everyone else who has reviewed. You _ALL_ make me feel so loved! (I can only hope that I continue to meet all of your expectations...)**

**I'll get the next chapter out when I can. Feel free to give me ideas or ask questions, either in a PM or review.**

**Laters!**

**Risika**


	8. Chapter 8: Drowning Face Down

**A/N: SURPRISE! New Chapter! And only 2 days after last chapter! No, I didn't rush on this one. I've had part of it written since just after I posted chapter 7, and worked on the rest of it most of Labor Day (today, 9/3/12).**

**Once again, y'all make me feel so **_**loved!**_** 9 reviews for chapter 7! Total of 48 reviews (so far. That was as of 5:04 P.M. on 9/3/12). Though, y'all can see that without me pointing it out… n.n**

**D'ya think I can get 100+ reviews before the 50th chapter?**

**Alright, I'm done running my mouth, for now. Hope you enjoy chapter 8 as much as everyone's enjoyed the others.**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Drowning (Face Down)**

"**One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything. Never!" –Winston Churchill**

* * *

**Logan decided** he was _not_ looking forward to reporting the night's events to Charles. He lost the cub after he attacked Sabretooth, and even when they stopped, he couldn't find her scent. The rain had washed it away during their little skirmish in Peekskill.

The sun was just a sliver of light on the edge of the horizon when he got back to the mansion. He'd taken the 40 minutes it took to get back to think about what he'd tell Chuck. No, he was not looking forward to telling the old man. Logan hated upsetting people as much as he hated being the bearer of bad news.

With a resigned sigh, the mutant known as Wolverine trudged up to the Professor's study. He could only hope Jean wasn't in the study as well. She'd be _so_ very upset.

* * *

**Sabretooth growled** as he headed to his employer's office. He couldn't _**believe**_ he'd let to cub get away! If Jimmy hadn't interfered, he'd've been returning with his target, getting his pay, and heading out to find another job.

But of _**course**_ his dear, sweet little brother _had_ to interfere, _had _to try to protect the cub. So now he was returning empty-handed. Now he wouldn't get the pay. Now he'd have to find another job to make up for this… this… this **failure!**

Of course, his brother wasn't _all _to blame for this fuck up. No. The rain was also to blame. If it hadn't started _fucking __**pouring**_, he'd've been able to track her after she ran!

…He'd postpone the job. Keep in contact with the man and wait until he'd found her again. Then he'd snatch her up and get her to the magnet-head. It might take a while, but he was a predator. He could be patient. He had her scent, and that was all he needed.

With that in mind, Victor Creed went to…_talk_ to his employer about what had happened.

* * *

**5 years later…**

Kuga sighed, dropping her bag of college-level text books in her room. Classes that day hadn't released until almost 5:30 P.M. Her grey-brown hair had been cut a few months ago, now just below her shoulders rather than the middle of her back. However, the tips were still—inexplicably—black.

Four years ago, she'd arrived in this town. She stayed in the Thomas's house, working her rent by doing chores until she got a job, and quickly become friends with their daughter, Chrystal. She also got her GED.

When Chrystal moved out, Kuga went with her, and they got an apartment. Nothing too cheap, but not expensive either. When she got enough money saved, she started college, an achievement she'd dreamed about for years. Chrystal was going to the same college, but for a different major. Chrystal wanted to be a beautician, while Kuga wanted to major in psychology.

Now, almost 6 years to the day that she ran from home, she was almost through getting her diploma.

As Kuga got a small portion of a giant sub out of the fridge, a smallish silver tabby padded in, meowing. The Feral grinned down at the cat.

"Hey, Byakko," she murmured, walking to the living room. "Has Chrys left yet?"

The cat looked at her with his golden eyes, the same color as Kuga's own, as he jumped onto the couch next to the young woman.

"Of course she has… Couldn't wait 'til I got home to leave, could she?" Kuga growled with mock irritation, then sighed.

"Well, I guess it's just you and me, Byakko. All by ourselves. In the apartment. With no one else…" As she spoke, Kuga's voice got more uncertain, more nervous.

Since she created a life for herself in this town, Kuga had rarely been alone; when she _was_ alone, it was only for a few hours. But now she'd be without another person in the apartment for a week and a half. Chrystal had gone to visit family in the next state over, and had invited Kuga, but they couldn't bring Byakko (Chrystal's aunt was highly allergic to cats) and neither woman could find a cat-sitter.

"Ko-ko, don't let me ramble on like that again," the Feral ordered.

"Row," the tabby sympathized softly.

After she finished the sub, Kuga turned on some music and fiddled with the volume until she could hear it, but also hear anything else in the surrounding area. Once satisfied, the woman began cleaning, starting with the living room and working her way back. The apartment wasn't in need of cleaning, but it irritated Kuga when her surroundings weren't neat. Chrystal had jokingly suggested she go into the house-keeping business.

"You'd make a _fortune_ with how clean you keep everything!" her friend had commented.

Byakko followed Kuga as she went through the apartment, picking up papers, socks, books, shoes and other random items.

"Chrys has _got_ to start putting her stuff away," the young woman told the cat. "It is kinda ridiculous when _make-up_ is left in the dining room, or she leaves her hairbrush in the kitchen. I know she wants to be a beautician, but _really?_ Does she have to keep it scattered around the apartment?"

"Mrow," Byakko replied.

After that, Kuga was quiet, occasionally muttering reminders or comments to herself. When she was finished, it was almost 8. With a grumbled sigh, she turned off the music, made herself a rare steak and filled the silver tabby's food dish. She took a shower, did her homework, then collapsed in bed at around midnight.

"Thank God I didn't have work tonight… And I don't have classes again until next week," Kuga muttered to the room.

She was almost asleep when something made her snap up in bed. She strained her ears, searching for anything out of place. Water rushed through pipes. A few rooms away, some punk-ass kid was blaring his rap music with the bass up—'_Hope the fucker loses his hearing._' She heard old man Richard just stepping through his door in the apartment next to hers. But nothing she heard would have set off her internal alarms.

Suddenly Byakko streaked into her room, yowling like a rabid cat. His ears were pinned back and his black-striped silver coat was fluffed up enough to make him look like a puff-ball. The cat sprinted under her bed; Kuga heard a _thump_ as he hit the wall.

The Feral was out of bed, claws extended, as soon as the cat had started yowling in the living room. A growl rumbled in her chest and Byakko hissed in response. When the growl deepened, the cat silenced himself.

She tested the air with a sniff. The silver tabby's rank fear was dominating anything else she may have scented, so that didn't help.

Kuga silently padded to the opened door of her room and looked through into the hall. '_Glad I took the front room,_' she thought. Her eyes cut through the darkness easily, allowing her to see her surroundings clearly. Chrystal's door was still closed, and the bathroom door was open as usual. Nothing strange, but Byakko's fear still radiated from under her bed.

With a deep breath, Kuga slid out into the hall. She kept her ears and eyes alert.

_Run! Escape! Get away!_

The woman ignored what the Cougar was trying to tell her. The beast had kept quiet for most of the 5 years since the night of the nightmare, still fresh in her mind. Why should she listen to it, when it wouldn't listen to _her?_

Silent feet moved through the hall, then paused at the corner that would lead Kuga to the kitchen and living room, straining her ears. Still nothing. The silence was unnerving, if she were to be honest.

Cautiously, Kuga looked around the corner. The kitchen in front of her was silent, exactly how she left it. A few dishes were in the sink, and she made a quick note to wash them later before she stalked into the room, looking around her. The living room was also silent and unchanged.

_Get out! Run!_

Kuga's breathing, she noticed, was fast with panic. She could feel her heart racing in her chest, trying to break out of her ribcage. She swallowed drily as she tried to get control of herself. It wasn't working; her own fear now mixed with Byakko's, and she could feel her limbs shaking.

Her fear angered her. Why should she be scared? She'd faced off against one scary-ass bastard, had been trapped in a cell in the basement of a school for mutants, and fought wild animals. She had heightened senses, fangs and claws. She had faster reflexes than normal people, and she was stronger than any normal person. She had a healing factor that healed fractured bones in days, scratches in minutes—depending on the severity of the scratch—and God knows what else! She had a beast in her head that strengthened her instincts and helped her out of many situations (loath as she was to admit it).

_Get away! Not safe! Escape!_

'_Cougar! There's nothing in the apartment! Why do I have to run?'_ Kuga snapped at the beast.

_Danger! Not safe!_

It was really irritating her. The beast wouldn't tell her what was wrong, she couldn't get anything out of her other half. But she couldn't help but feel there had to be _something_ that was causing the beast to act up.

**Nowhere to run…**

Kuga jumped, snapping her head around to find the new voice. Nothing.

_Run! Mind-speaker means harm!_

This time, Kuga didn't question the order. She ran back to her room and grabbed the old duffle bag in her closet. She threw a bunch of clothes in it, slid her sneakers on her feet, grabbed her wallet and phone, then sprinted out of the apartment.

**No escape…**

The young woman opened her phone, holding down one of the numbers. When it started dialing, she put it up to her ear, running down the street with her duffle bag over one shoulder.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon… Pick up, pick up, pick up!" Kuga urged through gritted teeth. But instead of a person, the answering machine picked up.

"_Hey, this is Chrystal! Or, rather, my phone! Uh, sorry I missed your call. Leave a message, your name, and a number—unless I already know your number!—and I'll get back to ya when I can! Thanks!"_

"Damn it, Chrys!" Kuga growled. The phone beeped, indicating the caller to start speaking.

"Chrystal, i's Cougs. I know i's late, but listen. Ya need ta get Kyle ta th' apartment, ASAP! Byakko was under my bed, last I know. He may've gotten out, though. Th' door's open, but someone may've closed it after I left. I had some impor'ant thin's come up. Don't call me. I'll call ya later, 'kay? I'll try explainin' when I get a hold a' ya. I gotta run now. Love ya, an' I hope ya have fun at yer aunt's."

Kuga terminated the call, then dialed another number. Again, she had to leave a message.

"I's Cougs. I know i's late, sorry. But some thin's came up an' I had ta leave in a hurry. Chrys may be callin' ya later. But if she don't, I need ya ta grab Byakko. When I left, he was under my bed, but I lef' th' door open—God dammit, why'd I do that..? Anyway, I need you ta take care a' 'im 'til Chrys comes home, or I get 'im. Don't call me; I'll try ta call later. I can't explain anythin' now. If I can, I'll explain later. I gotta go now. Watch yer back."

She turned the phone off, and quickly tossed it in her duffle bag.

**You can't get away…**

Kuga frantically looked around. '_Where th' 'ell is that voice comin' from!?'_

She was glad it was after midnight, and the town was so small. No one was out; no one was able to call the cops. She didn't know if she had the control to keep herself from harming anyone who tried to stop her.

**Just submit…**

"Like 'ell I'm gonna submit! Whaddya want with me?" Kuga shouted. The voice just laughed.

**Just submit. Make it easier for yourself…**

"No!" Kuga ran faster, trying to get out of the town quickly. She was on the outskirts when she finally noticed what her nose had been telling her since she left the apartment building.

Someone was following her.

His scent was familiar. Mint, pine, dirt, cat…and blood? Then something even more familiar, but she couldn't figure it out. So she tried to place where she'd scented him before, but it was impossible in her panic.

"Leamme th' _fuck_ alone!" Kuga snarled. Her stalker chuckled; a deep, dark chuckle that caused the young woman to shiver.

_Run! Get away! Predator! Can't protect territory from hunter! Too strong!_

The Cougar was practically screaming in her mind, giving her a headache with the addition of the 'mind-speaker.' She was lost in an ocean of sensations and feelings and scents and sounds that would have been _so easy_ to navigate. Something was messing with her, she was able to understand that much. Even with that knowledge, Kuga slowly losing control.

Panic. Fear. Anger.. Aching. Territorial possessiveness. Chuckling. Man. Car exhaust. Chirping. Wings in the night air.

Kuga couldn't focus on any one thing. It was driving her _mad_. She stopped running, bent over and threw up on the sidewalk. Once her stomach emptied itself on the cement, the young woman fisted her hands in her hair. Vaguely, she noticed the beast was trying to shelter her from most of the sensations, pushing her to the back. She curled up in the welcoming darkness, whimpering, '_too much… Too much…_'

She gave up trying to make sense of everything, of trying to sort through the ocean she was in, and let herself get pulled away.

* * *

**Cougar tried **to protect the partner-of-her-mind-and-soul when she felt the human start to lose herself. The mind-speaker was trying to get the human too weak to protect herself. He didn't know Cougar was able to protect her. But, even with Cougar intervening, her other part was swept out as if she was in the middle of a fast-moving river.

Then there was the predator. He smelt familiar, but couldn't quite place his scent. She knew that she was no match for him, though.

So, like so long ago,* Cougar ran. She was trying to protect her vulnerable partner-of-her-mind-and-soul, trying to protect herself. Her territory didn't matter, not against the one hunting her. All that mattered was getting away.

She could smell her own rank fear and knew she was making it easier for the hunter to find her. Not just her scent, but the sound of her moving through the trees and, if the first wasn't a dead give-a-way, her harsh breathing.

She'd never actually wondered what it felt like to be prey—she enjoyed being top, thank you—but now… now she knew what it felt like to be prey; to be stalked, hunted. She faintly remembered one other time she felt like prey, but knew she'd never been _hunted_.

Without warning, Cougar found herself on the ground with a heavy, large, _warm_ body on her back. The Feral froze, each and every muscle tensed. She was breathing like a winded racehorse, the musk of leaf-litter and dirt in her nose. Even stronger, however, was the scent of the hunter. Pine, mint, dirt, blood, lion, and the spice of man. Lion… Lion-man?!

"Hello again, Cub," a deep, velvety voice purred. "I been waitin' fer ya. Didn' think I'd find ya in such a backwoods place."

Cougar growled deep in her chest. He was too strong for her, had more experience than her, and was older than her… And if it _was_ lion-man…well, she tried her claws at fighting him. It didn't turn out too well…

The knowledge made her acknowledge how helpless she was in the situation, a feeling she was unfamiliar with. And it made her mad. Even so, she wouldn't be able to anything about it.

Cougar stopped growling and went limp under the hunter. A dark chuckle sounded near her ear. She shuddered but didn't move. Her cheek was pressed into the dead leaves and one arm was bent awkwardly under her belly. The strap of the duffel bag was digging into her shoulder and a rock was digging into her thigh. And still, she didn't move.

"Smart cub," the hunter purred. He sat up, and pulled Cougar up with him. She kept her head down, black eyes on the ground, and shoulders rounded in submission. She saw a large clawed hand close the duffel bag strap, tugging her behind the hunter. Obediently, the young Feral followed.

Cougar looked up at the hunter before looking back down quickly, taking in his appearance in a short glance. It _was_ lion-man, she could remember the look of his face as he stalked to her when she was laying, helpless, against a wall in a water-scented town. She could remember the black trench coat that flared around him as he moved.

The two moved through the trees quietly, barely making a noise. Occasionally, lion-man would scent the air, or check his phone. He was expecting someone, Cougar realized.

They'd traveled many miles when Cougar yawned unexpectedly. She glanced up, taking in the sky. The moon was getting low on the horizon. She'd been up all night.

Lion-man glanced at Cougar when she yawned again, a smirk playing on his face. Other than that, he ignored her. An almost silent growl worked its way out of her throat, but continued following the man.

The sun was just rising on the horizon, a sliver of red light, when lion-man stopped. Cougar, who was doing her best to stay awake, ran into him. A startled gasp escaped her as she quickly back-pedaled and bowed her head even more, looking at her feet.

However, instead of the attack she'd been expecting, lion-man chuckled and ordered her, "Get in."

She looked up slightly, seeing him holding the back passenger's side door of a car. Cougar glared at the order, but slid into the car anyway. He slammed the door shut, and a few moments passed before the driver's door opened, and lion-man slid in.

As he started the car and drove off, Cougar fought to stay awake. She didn't want to be so helpless against such a dangerous hunter. However, her exhaustion overwhelmed her, much like her partner-of-her-mind-and-soul had been, and she found herself falling asleep in the presence of the most dangerous predator she ever met.

* * *

*In my mind, animals don't see time like people. Yeah, Creed and Logan (if he had his memories) would see it as such a short time, but to the Cougar, who's only been in the world less than 22 years, 5 years is a long time, 'specially when most of that time is spent running.

**A/N: Holy smokes! This is the second longest chapter I've written for this story! More than 3,600 words! O.O I'm stunned.**

**However, I'm really proud of this one. The past few chapters I've felt like they've been missing something. No such problem with this one! Blame the muse! I started writing, and she just took the reins. The last bit, however, Kuga abandoned me, so I was flailing around, trying to figure out what would happen…**

**Now I have to figure out what happens next… **Kuga, you took everything I had planned and shoved it in one freaking chapter! That was supposed to last at _least_ two chapters!

**Kuga-muse:** Well, sorry. It ain't my problem.

***glare* Whatever.**

**Anyway! I'm in love with this chapter! Is that weird? …Eh, doesn't matter.**

**Alright, I'm gonna try figuring out where Kuga wants the story to go. Hope you enjoyed the (early) chapter! n.n**

**Risika**


	9. Chapter 9: My Life is Chaos

**I'm gonna clarify something I shoulda clarified at the start: This fic is totally AU. There'll be mentions of events from at least the first 2 movies (X1 and X2)****. Obviously the Creed in my story is from _Origins,_ but I can't guarentee anything other than Creed will be taken from _Origins_. And I'm probably gonna just ignore _The Last Stand_ (X3) and _X-Men: First Class_ (since I've not seen it yet...) Sorry for any confusion!**

* * *

**Chapter 9: My Life is Chaos…**

"**We are like horses who hurt themselves as soon as they pull on their bits - and we bow our heads. We even lose consciousness of the situation, we just submit. Any re-awakening of thought is then painful.****" -****Simone Weil**

* * *

She curled up tighter in the darkness, whimpering and struggling to make sense of everything. Nothing gave her peace. Everything was jumbled, a mass of colors and sounds and scents that she couldn't understand. It hurt trying to make sense of it, so she stopped trying.

**Let go…**

Some…thing was trying to get a message to her, but she couldn't understand. She curled tighter still, trying to protect herself from another overload. Wait..._another?_

**Release yourself…**

There it was _again!_ It was like… like a buzzing in her ear, but it wasn't. It brought back pain she'd felt before. She just couldn't remember where. And it scared her; terrified her like nothing she could remember. (Granted, all of her memories were jumbled, like the rest of her mind, but still.) She whimpered.

A soft rumbling invaded her space, causing her to jump. Moments later, she relaxed slightly. The sound was calming, reminded her of peace she'd forgotten she knew. She pawed through the mess carefully, trying to find what the sound was without disrupting anything.

A cat. The sound called forth the image of a grey tabby cat, curled on her chest. But what was the _sound?_

A little more pawing, trying not to disturb anything that would cause pain.

**Lose yourself…**

She jumped again; pain spiking as she fell into one of the many jumbled piles around her. Fear accompanied the pain and she wanted to dig a hole and hide. A fiercer rumbling took place of the soft rumbling, more dangerous. It scared her more than the thing trying to communicate with her.

Suddenly, the fierce rumbling softened again. Like a momma cat trying to protect and calm her brood at the same time. Slowly, she calmed again as the thing-that-did-not-belong retreated from her space.

She looked around her. Darkness surrounded her, but she could easily see piles of…stuff. The same stuff she'd been carefully pawing through. There were mountains of it, all around her. It seemed the only place that didn't have a pile was the place she was sitting. She leaned back, feeling something solid behind her.

A glance told her it was a wall with bins and labels. A word-attached to a picture-came flying to her.

Library.

Yes, it was like a library. Or, supposed to be. The word shelved itself in the strange wall.

She knew the place should be neat and organized, but looked like… Another word, with an image of a swirling funnel of dark clouds.

Tornado.

Yeah, it was like a tornado came through here; looked horrible. And it grated on her nerves.

So she got to work, the only noise in the area the soft rumbling of the momma-cat-thing and her quiet sounds of exclamation as she found something surprising.

* * *

Cougar had been awake for a while—the sun had been almost at the middle of its cycle when she woke up, and was now almost a quarter of the way back to the Earth. Lion-man had stopped to get some food, which she ate only after he finished.* _(A/N: It's pack courtesy. The other pack members don't eat a kill until the Alpha has had his share—even his mate waits until he gives the 'go-ahead.')_

She was stretched across the backseat counting the stitches when she felt her partner-of-her-mind-and-soul's fear and something invading the area she was curled in. That thing—mind-speaker, her memory whispered—needed to go, but her human's fear was more important. She wouldn't let lion-man-Alpha* smell her other half's fear; wouldn't let him smell her weakness. So she started purring.*

_(A/N: Cougar calls Creed the Alpha because he is her dominant. *Purring doesn't always mean a cat is content—though that tends to be the case. Purring could also mean the cat is distressed, injured, frightened, etc. or trying to calm someone [its brood, its person, etc.])_

When the mind-speaker frightened her human again, her verbal purrs turned into dangerous growls. Lion-man-Alpha glanced at her, but Cougar kept her gaze on the seat. She continued growling until the mind-speaker fled, at which time she resumed purring.

She could feel her partner-of-her-mind-and-soul become less frightened and confused and more determined and focused. The jumble that was her human's space—memories, attachments, thoughts—started to become more organized as the other half of her mind slowly picked up the pieces.

Now that she knew her human would recover well enough, Cougar's thoughts turned to something no other animal would contemplate: revenge.

Cougar needed to keep her other half safe, but as long at the mind-speaker was still out there, there was no way the young Feral could manage it. She had to find the mind-speaker and teach it what happened when you messed with a Feral; _especially_ a female.

She teased one fang with her tongue as she grinned at the thought of destroying the one who threw her human into such turmoil. She only needed a good whiff of the mind-speaker's scent.

And until she either accepted or denied Cougar, the beast would continue to do everything in her power to keep her partner-of-her-mind-and-soul safe and protected.

If only she knew where to find the mind-speaker's scent…

The thought upset the young Feral, so she brushed it away for a while, entertaining herself by plucking at the thread of the seat with her needle-sharp claws.

* * *

Kuga looked around her. Her mind had been painstakingly reorganized with care, every memory, thought, scent put in its proper place. It was _very_ well organized. _'Must be the cat in me,'_ she thought.

She recalled what had caused her mind to become so jumbled in the first place, and she grew irritated as she looked around at all of her hard work. Her mind should be _hers_, her private place, her sanctuary. The fact that someone had just walked right in and threw it into chaos…

_Let go… Release yourself… Lose yourself…_

The words floated through her thoughts as she let herself float in the back of her shared mind. She knew the beast would take care of their body, and she had to do some thinking.

'_What did the voice mean? Let go of what?'_

Kuga worked to figure out what it meant, but even after an immeasurable amount of time floating and thinking, she couldn't figure it out. She gave up, and attempted to regain control, but the Cougar snarled and forced her back.

'_Fine, be that way,'_ Kuga sniped.

She floated there for a spell, getting progressively more bored, more restless. She was 22, but sometimes she had the attention-span of a 9-year-old. She hated not having something to do…

An idea wormed its way into Kuga's part of the mind. She always saw things from _her_ point of view. What if she went through Cougar's memories and saw things from the _beast's _point of view?

The idea teased at her, until she finally gave in.

She searched through the maze of her mind until she found the Cougar's memories. She eased open the door and gaped at the mess. It was more organized than her memories had been before she reorganized them, but things were still in heaping piles.

She was itching to organize the space, but didn't want to irritate her Feral side. (She'd never seen the Cougar _really_ mad before, and she wasn't sure she wanted to see it now.)

Instead of organizing like she so desperately wanted, Kuga carefully waded through the piles until she found one that interested her. She picked it up and sound, scent, and scent suddenly crashed into her. The images forced themselves into Kuga's part of the mind and she watched it play out, almost like a movie.

_Needle-trees were covered in white-cold, sharpening their scent. She shook her head, dislodging a small mound of white-cold that had fallen on her as, she patrolled her territory. Cougar kept her nose and ears alert for any prey that might cross her path._

_She froze, instinct forcing her to take stock of her surroundings. When nothing changed in her surroundings, Cougar took to the trees, carefully moving through them as she continued her patrol. Her attention was on her surroundings—the scents that engulfed her, the sounds that reached her sensitive ears, the sights her keen eyes detected. It was only her attentiveness that alerted the young Feral of the invader._

_A musky scent drifted past her, and the Cougar stopped fast. Carefully looking around, obsidian eyes spotted tracks below her, leading into her territory. Her lip curled, revealing her sharp fangs._

'My territory!'_ She screamed, the Feral sound echoing her rage at the intruder. Black prey-stealer-birds _(Kuga identified the birds as crows)_ took off, cawing in indignation and fear of the young Feral. That was the only sound she made as she tracked the intruder deeper into her territory, staying downwind._

_After a while of careful hunting, the Cougar found the intruder. A grizzly bear plodded along, unaware he was being hunted. The young Feral's claws lengthened as a soft—yet still dangerous—growl rose from her throat. The intruder stopped, small ears trying to find the direction of the sound as his large head swiveled around, beady eyes alert._

_He snuffled before grunting as he failed to see the young Feral hidden in the white-cold covered trees. He continued plodding deeper still into Cougar's territory._

_With a terrifying scream, the Cougar leapt out of the tree and onto the bear's back, sharp claws digging into his thick shoulder-meat. The bear roared, startled, as he tried to get the clinging Feral off his back. He reared onto his hind legs, and then dropped back onto all fours as he shook his body._

_When the bear went to roll, the Cougar released him, jumping a safe distance away. The intruder got back up, his beady eyes sizing up his opponent. The Feral could almost see his thoughts._

'_A human? Human no match for Grizzly. Human weak.'_

_A feral grin bared Cougar's fangs as she attacked. Claw-swipe across the muzzle. Tear the small ear. Claw-swipe on the shoulder. Dodge snap-shut-jaws. Repeat._

_Finally, with the bear's blood in her mouth and a mixture of the bear's and her blood on her body, the grizzly admitted defeat, limping back the way he came. Cougar emitted a victorious screech, causing more black prey-stealer-birds to take flight._

"So _that's_ why…" Kuga trailed off, going over what she learned.

_The beast sees things differently than I do, that's for sure,_ Kuga pondered. _Territory is not to be taken lightly…But it doesn't tell me why Cougar likes to fight…_

Her mind flitted back to that night, five years ago. The night she woke up, terrified from a nightmare, in a strange place. The night she ran, only to be stopped in a river-side town by a beast of a man. The night Cougar took over in her rage and attacked the lion-man, only to be severely beaten.

She could recall the taste of his blood on her tongue; could recall how…_delicious_…it was.

Her thoughts turned to the day after that night. She had woken up in a secluded place, sore and covered in blood. She recalled how her ribs hurt the worst, but there had been a few other pains, like the one on her head.

Kuga could remember how the sweetly-metallic taste on her tongue caused her to snap awake, only to become aware of the blood on her clothes and skin. How she saw the blood on her claws, and then licked them clean, trying to get more of that wonderful taste. How she realized what she did, and jumped in a nearby pond to get the rest of the blood off her body, only to curse herself for the hasty plan. It had been the middle of a New York winter (though it had been pretty mild for a Northeastern winter, she supposed), and she'd jumped in a bloody _pond._

She recalled thinking how lucky she was the shirt she'd been wearing was black, so the blood wouldn't show up as much.

She knew how she felt during that fight; confused, scared, lost… But now she wanted to know how the beast saw it.

Kuga quickly found the memory from five years ago and settled down to watch. Once it was through—ending when the Cougar had fallen asleep—Kuga found herself greatly enlightened. She knew why the scent of the man hunting her threw the beast into such a panic. Why the blood had been so delicious. Why she felt so freaking possessive of her friends and apartment.

With that knowledge in hand, Kuga carefully made her way back to her own side of the mind. _She_ didn't want to be caught up in the beast's mentality, though her body might be on occasion.

* * *

Kuga was shocked out of her thoughts when the Cougar gruffly pushed her back in control. She blinked, trying to make sense of the sudden change.

A deep chuckle drew her attention in front of her. She stiffened as she recognized lion-man. The same lion-man whose blood she'd licked off her claws five years ago. She glanced around, taking in the expensive upholstery of the vehicle, before returning her gaze to the beast of a man (who just happened to be driving).

"Welcome back," he purred. His eyes never left the road, but somehow he'd known…

His blue eyes met her golden ones for a second through the rear-view mirror before Kuga dropped her own eyes, looking at the leather seating. It was instinct. He was stronger than her, thus, she would lose if she challenged him. Again. He was her dominant, her Alpha, and she wouldn't stand a chance against him.

She froze for a fraction of a second before growling softly. _'No more looking in the beast's memories,'_ she ordered herself. _'The beast's names'll get stuck in your head.'_

She shook herself out of her thoughts when the man chuckled again. It sent a shiver down her spine and caused her mouth to go dry.

Kuga swallowed, opened her mouth to speak, then swallowed again before she could say anything.

"W-who are you?"

She hated that her voice gave away her fear. It was soft, weak, barely above a whisper. A dangerous grin spread across his face, revealing sharp fangs.

"…Victor Creed. Sabretooth, preferably," was her kidnapper's reply. His voice was like velvet, alluring and sensual, while still holding a hint of the roughness Kuga thought he should have.

* * *

After a few hours, Sabretooth stopped at a gas station to fuel up his car. His steel blue eyes were trained on Kuga with an intensity that made her nerves tremble as he held out some money.

"Go take a piss, buy yerself somethin' ta eat an' drink, then get yer ass back out here. If yer not back here when I'm done, I'll drag ya out by yer hair. If ya try ta run off, I'll jus' hunt ya down again, and I ain't gonna be nice this time 'round."

'_You mean, that night he was being __**nice?**__'_ Kuga asked herself. If he was being gentle when he broke her ribs, she shuddered to think of what he'd do when he _wasn't_ being gentle.

She kept her head down as she nodded and murmured, "Yes, sir," and took the money (carefully, so as to not touch the larger clawed hand) before she got out of the car. Even when she was in the convenience store, Kuga could feel his sharp gaze on her back. Somehow, without even looking, she _knew_ he was smirking.

The young Feral woman got a small bottle of water and, after looking at the selection of food the store had to offer, decided to get some pre-packaged sandwiches and a few bags of chips. They weren't the best, but they had a lot of calories. That would help take the edge off her hunger until she could get an actual meal; one with a lot of meat.

Kuga paid the cashier for her small meal and headed back to the large man's car. She allowed herself a short moment to gawk at the vehicle, a new black-as-night Mercedes. She wasn't all that knowledgeable about cars, but one thing she knew for certain was that type of car tended to be expensive.

The young woman quickly schooled her awe-struck expression and got in the back seat again. She set the left over money on the middle consol and waited for her Alpha to finish fueling up. Normally, she wouldn't be this complacent, but she really didn't want to be hunted again.

* * *

It was almost midnight when the Alpha stopped the car. Kuga snapped awake, instantly alert and aware of her immediate surroundings. Sabretooth chuckled before ordering her out of the car. She grabbed her duffel bag from the floor and complied meekly. As soon as she shut her door, the large man had his hand around the back of her neck, claws barely pressing into her skin.

Instinctively, Kuga froze. The only movement she made was the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed shallowly.

'_What'd I do?'_ she asked herself frantically. She swallowed drily, nervous. Did she do something that made him mad without realizing it?

The Cougar was also afraid. She didn't want to have to fight him again. She didn't think she'd make it out alive, even with her healing factor.

Her fears were slightly relieved when, instead of hurting her, he ordered, "Walk."

Kuga kept her eyes on her feet as she followed the Alpha's order. He steered her through the unfamiliar desert terrain with purpose.

She desperately wanted to know where he was taking her, but didn't dare for fear he would retaliate. So the two Ferals; one a couple hundred years old, the other only 22; walked silently through the chilly desert.

* * *

The moment Creed dropped the cub off, his beast started fighting. He was so surprised he froze in the cement hall. Since he accepted his dual personality so long ago, the beast had remained complacent—so long as its needs were fulfilled. Never had it fought against one of Victor's decisions like it was now.

A snarl curled his lips as he attempted—for the first time—to cage the beast.

Sabretooth roared, clawed and snarled in its attempt to return the cub to his side. It fought like it had never fought before, testing Creed's (somewhat questionable) restraints.

"M-Mr. Creed…?" a tentative voice questioned from behind the large man. Victor shoved the beast back before replying.

"I expect th' rest 'a th' money ta be in my account by Wednesday. Any later, an' there'll be blood ta pay," he ground out. Then he exited the facility, much to the Sabretooth's irritation.

Creed didn't understand the sudden urge to get the cub out of the clutches of the people he'd placed her in. What was so special about the cub that his beast would fight against him?

* * *

**1 week later**

A young woman paced in the living room of the apartment she had been sharing with her friend. The local news channel was on, but completely ignored by the blonde.

Her baby blue eyes were clouded with worry and her normally perfect hair was pulled in a sloppy ponytail, tangled. Her t-shirt and jeans were wrinkled, betraying the number of sleepless nights she'd had, waiting by the phone.

"Chrys, she'll be fine."

Chrystal Thomas gave the couch a worried glare. Kyle Miller was the complete opposite of his girlfriend. His short black hair was smooth, his clothes were well-worn but un-wrinkled, and he was calm. His grey eyes were worried, but not to the same point as Chrystal.

"Kyle, Kuga said she'd call us back! It's been a _week!_" Chrystal exclaimed. "She could be in danger!"

"Chrystal." Kyle's voice was stern as he stood up and grabbed the woman by her shoulders. He forced her light blue eyes to meet his stormy grey ones. "Kuga is more than capable of caring for herself. She probably hasn't had the chance to call us back."

Chrystal's eyes shimmered with tears ready to spill over as she gazed into Kyle's calm expression. Her legs lost strength and she collapsed, desperately hanging onto her boyfriend as she sobbed. He hushed her gently, guiding her back to the couch. He held her head to his shoulder, rubbing her back soothingly as the woman finally released the pent-up worry that had been simmering since their shared friend left messages on their cell phones.

After the worst of the sobbing had passed, a small silver tabby cat jumped on Chrys's lap, purring. Chrystal gave him a weak, watery smile as she ran her fingers over his spine.

"Hey, Ko-ko," she said hoarsely. Kyle smiled softly (_I _still_ can't believe that cat didn't take off, with the door wide open_) before pushing her away enough to look at her face.

"Better?" he asked his girlfriend. She nodded.

"Chrystal, she'll be ok. Cougs is resourceful, she'll get back here sooner or later," Kyle said seriously.

Her sky blue eyes—red from crying—looked at him, begging him to make it true.

"Chrys, you need to focus on your school work. Graduation is in a few weeks."

The blonde sighed gustily at his attempt to change topics. "I know, Kyle. I just can't stop worrying about her…"

"I know. Listen, if she hasn't contacted either of us by next week, we'll call someone. I'm sure I can find the number for that place Kuga said she had visited for a day. They might help."

Chrystal gave him a stern glare—which was lessened in effect by the tear trails on her cheeks.

"Kyle Sheldon Miller, you are _not_ going to hack into _anyone's_ computer," she sternly commented. Kyle just flashed an innocent smile. The blonde gave an irritated groan before saying, "You're unbearable sometimes, you know that?"

However, contradicting her words, Chrystal leaned her head on her boyfriend's shoulder. He chuckled a bit, pressing his lips to her un-brushed hair. "I know," he responded, his words muffled by her hair.

* * *

Cougar snarled at the white-coats. They backed away from the blood-earth-branch-wall, terrified expressions on each face. The air was thick with their fear, which only made the Feral even more unpredictable.

Three suns had passed since the partner-of-her-mind-and-soul had been forced through the trees by the Alpha. Three suns that she'd been stuck in this…this…_cage_. But, once during each sun, a white-coat had taken her out of the cage and to a room; a room that smelled of blood, fear, and pain. She would be strapped to a blood-earth-rock (the human called it a _table_) and…_things _would be forced into her skin.

Every time Cougar was taken to the fear-scent-room, she healed. But the pain—_so much pain_—didn't fade. Not for hours, sometimes _suns._

The partner-of-her-mind-and-soul was tired. Cougar was—dare she say…_worried?_—concerned about the weaker human. She shouldn't be so tired… The beast knew it wasn't a bodily type of tired. No. This tired was purely mental.

A sharp sting in her side brought Cougar's full attention back to the white-coats. Another weak human had joined the small pack of white-coats. His scent was vaguely familiar, like she'd got a hint of his scent a long time ago… The crisp, spicy scent brought to her mind a time of being hunted by many humans with fire-sticks.

The human had a strange fire-stick aimed at her, a bit of smoke floating from the end. His dark hazel eyes were lit with sadistic glee as he shot again, the projectile hitting Cougar in the shoulder.

She looked at the spot the new sharp stinging originated from and found a…

'_Tranquilizer dart… It's a tranq…'_ the human half supplied in a dazed voice.

Cougar growled. She didn't know what a…_tranquilizer_ was, but the implications coming from the depths of her mind made her hate the thing imbedded in her shoulder and side.

She could feel her healing kick in, burning whatever venom the things had injected in her as she swiped at the offending object. It was torn out of her muscle and skin, flying across the cage from its momentum. The one in her side followed the same course, and she growled deeply.

Suddenly, one of the white-coats shouted something. The pack of humans scuttled away from the blood-earth-branches as a blood-earth-wall dropped from the ceiling, cutting off Cougar's view of the pack. The Feral didn't even have time to be confused as some sort of gas started filling the cage.

Her vision wavered, became fuzzy, going black for a few seconds before clearing again. Her nose burned and her throat felt like she'd swallowed fire. She felt her legs give out, causing her to fall on her face, before everything went black.

* * *

**I owe everyone an apology. I've had this chapter sitting on my laptop—completed—for a few weeks now. I've even gone and added to it. Then taken it out to put in the next chapter. Then split it so part was in this chapter and part was in the next. XP**

**But, I've found it hard to write anything. My boyfriend and I broke up a bit before Homecoming (which was this past weekend, 9/29 was the dance, the game was on the 28****th****) and I've not been dealing with it very well… Not surprising since one of my friends told me he asked her to the dance (she said no, but I think the only reason she said no was 'cause her father didn't want her to go with a senior since she's a freshman), and I saw him and my friend at the game acting all cozy. He laid his head on her knee, then later (after I got back from the concession stand) he had her sitting in his lap… And he and her danced together a lot at the dance… It hurts… a lot… My first break-up wasn't **_**nearly**_** this hard. But, my first ex and I were only together a few months. My most recent ex and I had been together more than 2 years…**

**So I've been quite bummed out, and Kuga (and Sylvia and Kailyn) have been giving me space. Especially since I snapped at Sylvia one afternoon on the way to a tennis match. (My team won MRVC Conference! For the first time since 2002!) At least I don't have any mushy scenes. Not yet. I wouldn't be able to deal with that yet… Just writing Chrys and Kyle's scene was hard.**

**Well, you see how I deal with emotional pain. *scans the chapter again* Yeah. Real light and fluffy, huh? Not. Sorry. And, unfortunately, the next chapter isn't much better. In fact, it's worse. XP Blame my (now) ex-boyfriend.**

**At least one good thing came from my break-up. This chapter—including the quote and chapter number/title but not the ANs-is 4,186 words. With the ANs, it is 4,900 words. So… I guess you can thank him before cursing him. Doesn't matter much to me.**

**I hope this chapter flowed smoothly. If not, I can go back and make it flow smoother. Maybe.**

**Later.**


	10. Chapter 10: Broken

**Chapter 10: Broken**

"**'Cause I'm broken when I'm open  
And I don't feel like I am strong enough" –Seether "Broken"**

* * *

Eric Lehnsherr, more commonly known as Magneto, was furious. Sabretooth had betrayed him! Five years ago, he had given the Feral mutant a simple mission; bring the female Feral to him. Magneto was even going to pay the mutant!

Instead of bringing the girl to him, Sabretooth had allowed him to escape when the Wolverine showed up. Creed had come to him the morning after, telling Magneto when he found the girl he'd bring her. Five years later, and Eric finds out Creed had given her to a _mutant testing facility!_

Instead of flying into a rage, Magneto called the large Feral mutant to his office and calmly demanded an explanation as to _why_ Sabretooth had given such a valuable asset to his group to scientists. The answer he received had the aging man ordering the Feral out of her office, demanding not to see Creed's face until he (Magneto) had calmed down.

The reason Eric "Magneto" Lehnsherr had ordered Sabretooth out was because the Feral had replied, nonchalantly, "They offered more money."

* * *

Kuga curled up in the corner of her cell, tears streaming silently down her cheeks. She ached like she'd never ached before. The experiments the white-coats put her through were pushing her healing factor to the limit. It didn't help that they didn't give her enough food to allow her body to replenish the energy used to heal her body.

More often than not, the young woman found herself attempting to sleep to try and restore the lost energy. She never managed to sleep more than a few hours before the white-coats returned to run more tests. She couldn't muster the energy to fight against them anymore. Not like she had the first few weeks.

Now she was reaching the two-month-mark of her captivity. Two months of hardly adequate food (for a mortal man; less than adequate food for a female Feral with a healing factor), endless tests, not enough sleep… Two months of being at the mercy of human white-coats who have nothing better to do than run experiment after experiment on a 22-year-old mutant.

Kuga hated it. She hated that she'd not seen her friends for two months. Hated that she just meekly allowed that brute of a man to take her to this place. Hated that she was too weak to fight against the white-coats. But most of all, she hated that she couldn't do a damn **thing** about it.

The slot at the bottom of the door slid open and a tray of food was pushed through. The young woman snagged the tray with an extended claw and pulled it to her before she started shoveling the food in her mouth as quickly as she could, acting for all the world like someone would take it from her. It was tasteless mush that didn't have any nutrients, but it kept her stomach from growling so loudly.

Kuga finished the meager meal quickly before crawling back to the corner she'd taken to hiding in. She tried to keep her mind away from the things the humans did, tried thinking about happier times; times when she was with her brother, her family, and her friends. But, her thoughts inevitably turned back to the tests.

The door started to open. Her muscles tensed; her mind went blank for a few moments before panic and anger started to take over.

Her golden eyes, dull from torture, started to darken to burnt ocher as her cat's eye pupils contracted into thin slits. Her breath started to come faster as she curled up tighter and a deep growl rumbled in her throat. The white-coats surrounded her, a pair of silver handcuffs in one of the men's hands, ignoring the anger flashing in darkened gold eyes.

* * *

**A year later**

Chrystal Thomas looked at her cell phone in her hand, finger hovering over the dial button. She wasn't sure any good would come from it, though. She bit her lip in indecision as she paced slightly in her living room.

Kyle had found the number of the place Kuga had said she visited briefly, and given it to her a few months ago (he assured Chrystal that he didn't hack into any databases or anything, but the blonde wasn't sure she believed him), and since then, she'd called so often she had the number memorized.

She'd first called when she got the number, alerting the kind man who had answered the phone to her plight. He'd been very understanding and promised to start looking for the young woman as soon as he could, but Chrystal still worried. She called at least twice a week, every week, to see if there'd been any new leads. She was almost certain the kind man, Xavier, was tired of her constant calling, but he never said as much. (The same couldn't be said for one of the others who would pick up the phone. Chrystal thought his name was Lloyd or Logan or something. He always snapped when he realized who it was.)

Unfortunately for the young blonde, Professor Xavier (as he preferred to be called) and his team hadn't been able to find anything. The anniversary of Kuga's disappearance was in a few days, and she found herself desperate.

Finally, Chrystal decided to call, just to see if they'd found any new leads. She quickly dialed the number. It was answered on the first ring.

"Hello, Chrystal," the Professor's calm voice floated through the speaker. "I'm surprised you didn't call sooner." His voice was lightly colored with amusement.

"Professor, have you found anything? Any leads?" Chrystal asked desperately. She'd stopped wondering how the older man always knew when she was going to call after the first two weeks.

"I'm sorry, my dear. I haven't."

"Oh…" Chrystal's shoulders sagged with the weight of her depression.

"Don't worry," the calm voice said. "We'll find her. Your friend is…very resilient."

"Professor, what would someone gain from kidnapping Kuga?" The blonde's voice was heavy with despair as she sagged onto the couch. Byakko alerted Chrystal to his irritation at being awakened as the cushions were disturbed by her weight, but proceeded to curl up in the blonde's lap.

"I don't know," was the quiet reply. "But my team and I will do our best to get her back home safely."

"I know, sir." Chrystal hung up after exchanging a few more words. She rested her head in her hands, supported by her knees. She sat like that for a long moment before moving her head to look at the silver tabby in her lap without removing her head from her hands.

"…Byakko…I wish you could talk. Then you could tell us what happened…" the blonde murmured. The silver tabby looked at the young woman with his golden eyes, so like her missing friend's, as if to say '_So do I._'

The blonde sighed before sitting up and scratching the cat's back. "She'll turn up sooner or later. She _has_ to." The words were barely audible, a sigh in the air, but the desperation in which they were spoken told of just how much the young woman needed her friend back; needed her back for the companionship, the silent support Kuga would give, the quiet amusement, the almost OCD-like habits…

Chrystal needed her friend, her friend who had become a sister. But there was nothing she could do to help find Kuga, and that knowledge tore her up.

* * *

Kuga whimpered as the white-coats threw her back in her cell. Cougar was fighting to get free, wanting to taste blood in return for all the pain the humans had caused them both. The terrifying thing was Kuga didn't. She didn't want to do anything but run, escape from the humans and never face another person (human or mutant) while she was alive.

The fight she had just a few months ago was gone, replaced by fear. Her grip on the beast got weaker as her will to live weakened. She couldn't take much more of this torture! It was to the point she was afraid of her own shadow, and every little noise drove her into terror-filled panic. The sound of water running in the pipes, the sound of feet walking in the halls, the jingling of keys, the sounds she made as she moved… It all terrified her. Even the growls in her head from the beast scared her.

All she wanted to do was run. Get away from everything, find a quiet place, and stay away from everyone. However, being stuck in a cell, Kuga _couldn't_ run; instead, she did the next best thing—curling up in the corner (again).

If she'd had her head on straight, she may have laughed. Here she was, a 23-year-old female Feral—one of the most dangerous mutants, in her mind—and she was acting like a little kid in a thunderstorm, or a kitten cornered by a snarling, slavering mutt.

Unfortunately, her head was _not_ on straight. Anyone who was experimented on for more than a year would be hard pressed to keep their sanity.

A man entered her cell, complete superiority in his every move. His grey hair was military-short and his grey eyes were hard. He wore a military uniform (in her terrified state, the young woman couldn't even tell what branch he was, let alone what rank) and his boots were worn.

When his steel eyes fixed on Kuga's cowering frame, his emotionless mask broke. An evilly gleeful smirk crossed his face, and Kuga tried to make herself unnoticeable.

"Well, well, well. What _do_ we have here?" the man asked rhetorically. He slowly crossed the few feet to crouch by the young Feral. His voice went dangerously low. "I've been looking for you, mutie. I've been looking for a _long_ time."

'_Why? What does he want with me?'_ Kuga sniveled. The question must have shown in her dull gold eyes, because the man's smirk grew.

"Been looking for almost 7 years," he said. "I was the one in charge of bringing you in when your parents called the MCA."

Kuga's eyes widened, suddenly realizing the man in front of her could possibly be more dangerous than the white-coats.

He stood up, reaching for something in his back pocket. Kuga never found out what it was. Fear consumed every pore of her body, the raw stench of it filling her nose.

The Cougar realized something in a moment of oddly logical thoughts. Her other half was incapable of doing anything, since every little thing terrified her. Not even the restraint the beast normally felt was there. And she took control.

It was a bloody day in the mutant testing facility in Death Valley, California. Officially, the facility never existed. Most of the scientists mysteriously disappeared, all records of them destroyed. The others were admitted to hospitals without word, the nurses and doctors not saying a word. They only survived because one of the soldiers called for backup. The security tapes were put in a vault somewhere, as was the information gathered from the experiments. Everything was neatly covered up, as if nothing happened in the first place.

* * *

Professor Charles Xavier was in Cerebro's chambers once again, searching for the young mutant who had visited his institute a few years ago. To be honest, he wasn't sure if he could find her. Since she ran off in the middle of the night, he'd been scanning for her brain waves, but she'd always remained under the radar. But, as he'd found out, Ferals were difficult for any telepath to locate with his or her mind, even if the Feral in question was standing in the same room.

He was scanning the United States, moving from the eastern states to the western states. He'd only found a few mutants with any type of Feral mutation (they were just physical mutations, like fur, or scales, claws, tails…) but none were the female he was searching for. He was—mentally—nearing the Pacific coast when the pain of many humans reached him. Xavier immediately focused on the area, and was stunned at what he felt.

Dozens of men and women were fatally injured, dozens more panicked.

'…_Knew we shouldn't have…'_

'…_Told the general it wasn't a good idea…'_

'_She's gonna kill us all!'_

'…_demon!'_

'_That monster is a danger to everyone!'_

'…_should have killed it…!'_

Xavier focused on the humans' thoughts and got a mental image of a snarling woman. Her eyes were black, sunken from malnourishment. Her shoulder-length hair was matted and dull. But he could still recognize her; see the healthy young teenager who had stayed in his halls for a few short hours.

'_Scott, get the team and get to Death Valley, California. I've found her.'_ Charles told the leader of his team. Silence, and then:

'_We'll leave in 10.'_

'_Take Logan with you. He will be useful in containing Ms. Talonson.'_

The professor sighed, taking off the headset that connected his powers to the machine before exiting the chamber. He'd have to call Ms. Thomas and inform her they've found her friend. But he'll do that when the young Feral was at the mansion. He didn't want to get Ms. Thomas's hopes up only for the woman to slip out of their fingers.

* * *

Commander Alexander Feron lay on the floor of the cell, stunned. He went through the movements of making a tourniquet from a piece he tore from his shirt, wrapping it around his injured thigh while his mind was blank with shock. He wasn't sure what caused the sudden change that caused the mutant to go from terrified to lashing out. He saw the dull gold eyes darken slowly to burnt ocher, then suddenly to pitch black. All he was doing was reaching for his lighter… Then the claws lashed out…

They had been deadly fast—just a blur of movement. He had been flung to the side of the cell from the speed and strength of the swipe; he hadn't even noticed he was injured until the mutant was out of the cell. It was over in less than a minute.

"I-I'm…I'm alive…" he murmured. His tone was flat, as if he couldn't get over the fact.

"I'm alive. Heh. I-I'm _alive!_ Haha!" He started shouting, overly loud laughter intermingling with the repeated shouts of "I'm alive!"

A doctor would have diagnosed the commander as suffering from shock. Alexander Feron was only concerned with the fact that he was _alive_, even after staring Death in the face, in the form of a young female mutant with dull amber eyes.

* * *

Emma Frost, the White Queen, cautiously followed Mystique into Magneto's office. News of his outburst with Sabretooth traveled fast in the Brotherhood, and she didn't really want to be on the receiving end of Magneto's wrath.

"Mystique, Emma, come in," the German greeted pleasantly.

"Sir, I've located the mutant. She's in Death's Valley." Emma stayed near the door while the blue-skinned mutant seated herself comfortably on the edge of Magneto's desk. She'd never been really comfortable with the man, or the fact he regularly used that _beast_. She only stayed because she wanted to stop humans from doing to others what had been done to her.

Magneto stilled, his blue eyes boring into her own. "You've found her?" he repeated after a long moment. Emma nodded, her blonde hair shifting slightly from the movement.

He was quiet a moment more, eyes unfocusing as he thought. Finally, having apparently reached a consensus, he turned to Mystique.

"Get the Brotherhood mobilized," he ordered. "We're going to bring her _home._"

* * *

**AN: Sorry, Mags. Kuga's home isn't with the Brotherhood… But he doesn't know that. Yet. ;P**

**Firstly, thank you **_**all**_** for the support. It really helps me get out of the blues.**

**Secondly, I apologize for the short(ish) chapter… Kuga's pissed I broke her…**

**Thirdly, I have **_**no**_** clue why I added Feron in. Maybe I (or one of my muses) thought he should get some more recognition… But I can almost guarantee he'll be back.**

**Fourthly, DON'T BASH ME ABOUT EMMA! I know she's not in the Brotherhood in **_**any**_** of the movies or **_**any**_** of the comics (still haven't read any, I've looked her up on Wiki). But it's the only logical explanation for the "voice" Kuga heard in her apartment. No, she wasn't working with Creed, she was actually hoping to influence her enough to bring her to Mags. Remember she doesn't like Creed (since he put her in a cell in a mutant testing facility), so why would she work with him? Unless it was absolutely imperative she did… Um… Damn, I forgot what else I was gonna say on the subject…**

**Um… yeah… kinda dark. At least I think so… I'm not good at dark, torture scenes, like what she'd experience at the hands of the doctors. So I consulted a friend, and she suggested something like this. It works for me. You get the idea of what happened, but I don't have to write it out! XD I'm so lazy.**

**Honestly, I feel sorry for Kuga… Wish I could just pluck her out of my mind and into the real world and just hold her… No one, man or woman, adult or child, mutant or human, should go through that. **_**NO One**_**. But I promise some good with come from that. One way or another.**

**Well, see ya laters! (Hope this chapter is alright…)**


	11. Chapter 11: Cougar Meets the Brotherhood

**Chapter 11: Cougar Meets the Brotherhood**

**"Better to have beasts that let themselves be killed than men who run away." -Jean-Paul Sartre**

* * *

Once again, Creed found himself stalking through the Brotherhood's headquarters to meet with the bucket-head. A dark scowl marred his face. Every mutant who saw him gave him as wide a birth as possible in the halls (which were _much_ too narrow for his liking). His overcoat flared out behind him with his smooth prowling strides, as if to give Creed's anger a physical form.

Truth be told, he wasn't angry at being called back to the Brotherhood's HQ. No, he was angered by his own lack of control concerning his beast. Over the last year, he would often find that he had wandered to the desert of California, where he'd taken the Cub. No matter where he went, Sabretooth would pull Victor back to Death Valley. No amount of bloodshed would satisfy the beast. And it pissed him off.

He could hear the other mutants talking behind doors and around corners, but he ignored them in favor of getting to Magneto's office and back out as quickly as he could. Sabretooth couldn't stand being in the building—it was too similar to Stryker's lab for his tastes, with the cement walls and floor and claustrophobic halls. It brought back memories he'd prefer to keep buried.

If his current mood, the similarity, and the memories weren't enough, the inane chatter of the other mutants grated his nerves, played them like a fine-tuned guitar. If he couldn't get away soon, he was gonna knock some heads (or gut someone, he wasn't picky), and he'd only been in the headquarters for 10 minutes.

When he finally reached the main office, Creed walked in without warning. Magneto gave the large Feral an irritated glare.

"Sabretooth."

"What," Victor growled. The man didn't back off, but stood his ground against the dark glare Sabretooth pinned him with.

"I have a job for you." Magneto's voice was firm as he met Creed's blue-grey gaze levelly. Lehnsherr didn't say anything more, waiting for the other Alpha's thoughts.

"What kinda job?" Sabretooth ground out. A sly smile curled the German's lips.

"I'm fairly sure you will remember a certain Kuga Talonson?" Erik purred. "I need your help to retrieve her from Death Valley." The Feral's eyes narrowed and darkened to deep cobalt.

'_Oh, fuck no! I try ta get __**away**__ from th' bitch, and fuck-bucket wants my help getting' her? HELL no!'_

Magneto must have seen Creed's answer in his expression because the smile immediately dropped.

"I'll pay you $25 thousand."

'_Now he's tryin' ta bribe me?'_ Sabretooth thought in contempt. "Why do you need my help?"

"I need her on my team, but I want her to join freely. _You_ can control her, while she would probably ignore anyone in the Brotherhood."

"I ain't gonna help ya. You've got Juggernaut 'n' Toad 'n' yerself. I'm sure you'll figure _something_ out."

The door opened again, and a pale blonde stuck her head in. Magneto and Creed turned their attention to her. "Sorry to interrupt, sir," she said quietly, "but the X-Men have decided to try to get the girl as well."

"Do you know who is going?" Magneto questioned.

"Yessir. Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Nightcrawler, Iceman, Shadowcat, Colossus, and Wolverine," was the quiet reply. Creed's eyes unfocused as he thought.

"Thank you, Emma. You may leave," Lehnsherr dismissed her. He stayed quiet as Sabretooth contemplated the new information.

"I'll help ya, long as I get to deal with the Runt." The Feral's sharp gaze cut through the German, who smiled. Creed turned and started toward the door as Erik spoke.

"Good. We leave as soon as the group is ready." Magneto's smile dropped suddenly. "Do not make me regret this, Creed. If you _ever_ double cross me again, I swear I will find a way to destroy you."

Victor froze, one clawed hand on the door. He turned his head slightly to speak over his shoulder.

"Issat a threat?" he asked softly.

The spice of anger not his own swirled around his nose, and a dangerous smirk curled his lips as he faced the door again. "Remember who you're messing with, Lehnsherr," Creed said, almost teasingly playful. "You might get hurt."

He opened the door before stopping again. "And one more thing. The Cub ain't gonna speak human speak if her beast is in control." Then Victor Creed slipped through the doors and into the halls. He needed some fresh air.

* * *

Cougar ran. She wanted to get away from the building that had held her captive for the past year. She wanted to get away from the gold-white ground that burnt. She wanted to get away from the heat that surrounded her. She wanted to get to someplace she _knew_; someplace familiar.

The gold-white-shift-ground was soft, slowing her down. Her claws couldn't find purchase, her hands and feet sunk into the ground slightly with each step. But she didn't slow, didn't stop, didn't give up.

Finally, the ground started to become firm, stable beneath her claws. Shrubs and sharp-spine-plants dotted the otherwise bare landscape. Mountains surrounded her, distant—yet looming—behemoths, sleeping, surrounded by soft-gold-white ground. Shift-ground-hills rolled to her right and behind her.

She stopped running, sliding in the loose dirt. A cloud of dust blossomed around the young Feral, and she coughed, trying to get the dust out of her throat.

Once the dust settled, Cougar looked around. The area wasn't familiar, but the same could be said for the place she was running from. When nothing caught her eye, she continued running. She ran north. To the Feral, north meant safety, even if she'd been born in the Mid-West. North was safe, north was familiar.

* * *

Cougar skidded to a stop again, rocks cutting her hands and feet as she slid. Her ears strained, listening for the sound she heard moments before as her obsidian eyes flicked around her. She couldn't see anything, but she heard something, like faint thunder.

Testing the air, the Feral could smell cold-scale-lizards, dirt-earth, and shifty-grain-rocks, a scent she'd grown accustomed to over the past few hours. Fainter, she smelled blood-earth-metal, fire-start-gas, and cloud-sky; a familiar scent. She remembered the scent from the time just before she was taken from her territory in the white-cold forest, and it made her nervous.

After another quick look around, Cougar started racing across the land again. She didn't want to be found by the thing that smelled so familiar.

As she ran, she noticed the _air_ started to smell different. The blood-earth-metal scent started to get stronger, but not the fire-start-gas or cloud-sky. It smelled like…like iron, or steel; scents she knew from the time in The Building*. The blood-earth-metal scent got stronger bit by bit, until it over-powered everything except the scent of objects close to her. Cougar slowed enough to be able to take in any changes in the environment (other than scent) but not enough to be walking. Swiftly, she stood up; that provided height to see farther.

But without her nose, she was a sitting duck. Especially with the shift-sand-hills to her east, where anyone could sneak up on her.

Panicked, Cougar turned and ran toward the flat ground to her west, no longer following her inner compass north. She had to get away from the sound and smell. She pushed her legs to move faster, not wanting to give up height for speed.

In her panic, the young Feral didn't see the group of people standing on the floating piece of metal.

Without warning, Cougar found herself bound, blood-earth-metal holding her arms to her sides and her hands and feet together. She wasn't able to stop her forward momentum and fell, the side of her face, shoulder, and arm getting torn by rocks both large and small. Desperately, she tried to get to her feet, but only kicked up a small dust cloud.

Snarling, the Feral looked around, trying to find the one who stopped her escape from The Building, from the scent, from the sound… She was _angry._ She was tired of being caged, tied up, of being at another's mercy. She would rather _die_ than allow another to dictate her. The _only_ one she would answer to was her Alpha.

She spotted something behind her, so Cougar rolled over. A low, loud growl rumbled in her chest as Feral black eyes locked onto the group of people stepping off a flat, floating blood-earth-metal disk seven tree-lengths* from her. She couldn't make out individual scents, since the blood-earth-metal scent was so strong, but she would get scents, when the humans were closer.

Not that she wanted them to get that close. She struggled, trying to get out of the blood-earth-metal bindings. As she strained against the bindings, Cougar studied the group. There were about eight people total.

One man wore a strange cape, and a blue woman who stuck close to the cape-man. The rest of the group was following the cape-man, which meant he was the Alpha. That makes blue-skin-woman his mate.

A woman in white stuck close to the Alpha and his mate, almost treading on their heels. Cougar knew what competition over a mate looked like; this wasn't it. The Feral saw the white-woman was seeking protection. From what, Cougar couldn't tell. Maybe the rest of the group.

A boy with rich brown hair loyally followed the Alpha while he flicked a fire-start-lighter on and off. Brown-head-fur-cub reminded Cougar of a pup following its person around with admiration. A young man with dark hair walked next to the cub. Spines grew out of his face.

Briefly, Cougar thought back to the time before she found her territory; she had been running for a while, and stopped to hunt. A small creature with spines—just like the man had—walked in her path. She tried to claw it, but the spines stuck in her hand. She never bothered spine-creatures after that. With a growl, Cougar realized spine-face was one person she didn't want to mess with.

Behind the small group was a large man. He had a strange rock on his head; rounded on the top, cut straight at the bottom, and a part was cut out for his face. Strange bands wrapped around his chest and arms, showing off his large muscles. Something about rock-head unnerved the bound Feral, but she couldn't place what it was.

Behind rock-head hopped a green man. Everything about him reminded the Feral of slimy-water-frogs, from the way he moved to how he looked (his face slightly resembled the slimy-water-frogs), to the long tongue that would snap out randomly—probably catching annoying-buzz-flies. The thought curled Cougar's lip.

But as her black eyes strayed to the last person, her struggles immediately ceased and her blood ran cold. Short, dark head-fur, black human-clothes, black trench coat…and the smirk that spread across his face when he saw her freeze. Her eyes locked onto his storm-blue eyes for a short moment before she looked away. Her Alpha stalked behind the group, slimy-frog-man hopping next to him.

Cougar _almost_ curled up on herself. _Almost._ She would have if the frails (and rock-head-man) weren't there. As it is, her head ducked down slightly and her shoulders hunched. Raw fear-stink filled her nose, mixing with the blood-earth-metal scent, burning her nose.

The group was only three tree-lengths from her now. Cape-man stopped, and the others followed his example. Everyone, that is, besides lion-man-alpha. He continued stalking forward until he stood even with cape-man. White-woman shied away from him when the other Feral passed her.

Lion-man-alpha scented the air and his smirk grew when he took in her fear-stink. Cougar determinedly kept her gaze away from her alpha, instead glowering at cape-man. He smiled in what she guessed was supposed to be kind, to which she snarled, baring her fangs threateningly. A rumbling chuckle came from her Alpha, sending shivers down the female's spine.

Cape-man was about to speak when a loud roar filled the air. Lion-man-alpha growled deeply, and Cougar snuck a peek at him. He was glaring at something behind her, a large, feral smile showing his fangs.. So were the other frails behind cape-man. Curious, the young Feral looked over her shoulder and saw another group on the shift-ground-hill she'd climbed not too long ago.

Seven people, all with black human-clothes. The leader was tall-ish, with brown head-fur and a strange red eye-covering. A red-head-fur woman was behind him, with a snow-fur woman and a blue man with a spike-tail on either side of her. A young brown-head-fur-woman stood near a big shiny-blood-earth-metal-man and a man covered in freeze-water stood in front of shiny-metal-man.

Finally, there was the man who had roared, running down the shift-ground-hill and completely oblivious to the calls of, "Logan, don't!" His dark head-fur was curled up, like wolf-ears and blood-earth-metal-claws were unsheathed.

'_Lion-man-alpha __**and**__ claw-man?! No chance. No chance for escape…'_ Cougar realized dejectedly. She curled up, protecting her vulnerable stomach with both groups there to see her pitiful reaction.

"Ah, I see the X-men have decided to join the party," cape-man called.

"The Runt's mine," lion-man-alpha growled lowly.

"Release her, Magneto!" one-eye returned angrily.

"I don't think I will."

Without warning, Cougar was lifted in the air. She yelped, struggling again as she tried to find the safety of the ground. She was floating, she realized. But she wasn't a sky-creature, she couldn't fly! Land-creatures were meant to stay on the ground or in the trees, not hang over them as she was doing now!

In her panic, she looked to the only one she would obey. Lion-man-alpha looked at her for a long moment before going after claw-man. A terrified whimper escaped Cougar's throat. She needed to get _away!_ She couldn't protect the partner-of-her-mind-and-soul if she was caged again!

That thought gave her strength, calming her fear. The Feral woman took a deep breath before looking around her with a calculating gleam in her gold-flecked obsidian orbs. She took in all the mutants fighting each other, the blood-earth-metal that was still binding her, cape-man who walked so calmly in front of her.

A sneer crossed her face at the idea of what she was about to do, but only for a moment before she put on a devoted expression. Purring started in her chest, causing cape-man to glance at Cougar.

Magneto turned around when he heard… was that _purring?_ He looked at the bound Feral. For a moment, he thought he saw some gold in her black eyes, but she closed her eyes briefly. When her eyes opened again, they were as black as a cloudy night sky. Maybe he imagined it…?

Well, that wasn't the important thing. The important thing was the Feral was _purring_.

"What are you planning, my dear?" he asked her.

Cougar looked at him, unblinking. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw white-woman and fire-fur-woman staring each other down. Claw-man and lion-man-alpha rolled between the two frails, clawing and stabbing, kicking and punching, roaring and growling at each other. She could hear others fighting behind her, but kept her dark gaze on cape-man.

All of a sudden, the sky darkened as dark sky-clouds rolled in. Sky-fire lit the dark sky-clouds and a streak of sky-fire hit cape-man. He screamed, and Cougar fell to the ground with a _thump_. She shook off the pain and worked to free herself from the blood-earth-metal bindings.

Cape-man stood up, cape smoking, and glared at someone behind the young Feral. Without thinking, he removed the blood-earth-metal from around Cougar, unwittingly freeing her. As he floated over the Feral, she stayed still. Once he was behind her, Cougar took off, around the fighting groups and into the shift-ground-hills. Once in the shift-ground-hills, she once again headed north.

* * *

***1 tree-length = 10 feet (or about 3 meters, for those of you who use the metric system)**

**Character Key (I'm not sure this is necessary, per say, but it's better to be safe than sorry.)**

**Brotherhood:**

**Cape-man= Magneto  
Blue-skin-woman= Mystique  
White-woman= Emma Frost  
Brown-head-fur-cub= Pyro  
Spine-face= Kid Omega/Quill  
Rock-head-man= Juggernaut  
Slimy-frog-man= Toad**

**X-Men:**

**Claw-man= Logan  
Fire-fur-woman=Jean  
Red-eye/One-eye= Scott/Cyclops  
Snow-fur-woman/sky-alpha= Ororo/Storm  
Blue-spike-tail-man= Kurt/Nightcrawler  
Freeze-water-man= Bobby/Iceman  
Ghost-cub= Kitty/Shadowcat  
Shiny-blood-earth-metal-man= Piotr/Peter/Colossus**

**Some of the names will be used later, and not at the immediate time. Cougar's name for people changes as she sees fit (a good example is Logan's name from chapters 3 and 4 to now.)**

**Sorry to end it there. I couldn't figure out how to do the next part. XP**

**Before Creed 'napped her, during the 5 years in that town with Chrys and Kyle, Cougar began to connect human-speak words (metal, gas…) with Feral-speak (blood-earth, fire-start) from peeking into her human-half's mind. She isn't as good at melding human and Feral as Creed, but she's learning.**

…**Cougar wants me to tell you… she needed to…learn human-speak to better… understand the partner-of-her-heart-and-mind. Or at least **_**try**_** to understand. n.n (You know how hard it is to understand Cougar? It's worse when she's trying to speak to you… XP)**

…**My head hurts… I can't wait 'til Kuga comes back… Try deciphering what Cougar wants **_**every. Single. Time**_** you go to type. It is so hard putting words to what she gives me.**

**The other thing that gave me a **_**ton**_** of trouble was (**_**growl**_**) Magneto. It is almost impossible for me to get into the metal-head's head! DX I couldn't even **_**begin**_** to figure out what he'd say (that was believable). It is so frickin' hard to figure out how to bypass the block he has become in a way that is IC… Grrrr…**

**Add in the fact I've become extremely stressed lately, and I can't focus on **_**anything**_**. My dad's kidney was taken out a few weeks ago, my mom's knee is gonna have to be replaced, no one is working, my brother's shoulder is hurting to the point he can't lift weights… Everything is just making it hard for me to focus. I can't focus on school (I have a paper I'm supposed to be writing. My class is starting on writing the body, and I haven't even done the research yet. I'm so far behind…), and I can't focus on my stories. (It took me forever to finally find my muses. Even if it _is _only half of one.)**

*****_**sigh**_*** I hate life. Or life hates me. Either or.**

**The next update might take a while. I need to focus on helping out in the house, since Dad's down and Mom's gonna be down when Dad gets back up.**

**HOWEVER! I **_**do**_** have a plot. Ish. I know where the next few chapters are gonna go. If **_**someone**_** doesn't fudge with the outline I've made. *cough, cough* Kuga. *cough, cough* (Remember what she did in chapter 8? She may do the same thing, or take it in a **_**completely**_** different direction…) Just need to figure out where the **_**story**_**'s gonna go… TO THE DRAWING BOARD!**

**Alright, I'm done complaining. I'll try to make next chapter longer. **(I somehow pissed Sabretooth off, who plays a _major_ part in the next chapter... Creed isn't in the picture yet, and neither is Kuga. But _she's_ also mad at me… *sigh* How do I manage to piss off the characters in my own damn story?)

**Laters.**


	12. Chapter 12: The Sleeping Desert

**To 'Guest': **Yeah, Cougar knows Sabertooth betrayed her. However, he's the only one Cougar 'trusts' there. I use that word in the vaguest of meanings. Um…how can I explain…? Creed is Cougar's dominant, her _Alpha_ if you will, so she knows she won't stand a chance in Hell against him. But, he is the only one Cougar is familiar with, and she much prefers familiarity to anything else. So, she'll go to Creed rather than, say, Logan (especially since Cougar dislikes Logan for taking her from her territory in Canada). That's why she looked to Creed for help when Mags started to move her.

She's terrified of him, since Creed is so much more dominant that she is, and because he beat the living shit outta her. Like a dog or cat, if they're beaten, they become scared of the one who beat them. They have a very complicated relationship… XP

Hope that cleared some things up for you. You should get an account so I can PM replies to your reviews! (besides, I don't like calling people 'Guest'. XP)

* * *

**Chapter 12: The Sleeping Desert**

"**The truth is I love being alive. And I love feeling free. So if I can't have those things then I feel like a caged animal and I'd rather not be in a cage. I'd rather be dead. And it's real simple. And I think it's not that uncommon." -**** Angelina Jolie**

* * *

Nightcrawler teleported to the top of the sand dune, looking to see where he was needed most. Storm was hitting Magneto with lightning bolts as they circled in the cloudy sky. Magneto tried to use a metal shield to keep the bolts of electricity from hitting him. Jean was in a battle of wills against the White Queen as they stared each other down. Shadowcat was infuriating Quill and Toad, going right through their attacks and their bodies to hit them from behind. Cyclops tried to distract the "unstoppable" mutant to help Colossus. Wolverine and Sabretooth were duking it out, interrupting various fights in their single-minded fight. Iceman and Pyro were also indulging themselves in their rivalry.

Finally, he noticed Mystique was sneaking up behind Cyclops. With a thought, Nightcrawler was behind the blue shapeshifter in a cloud of sulfurous smoke. He grabbed the woman and teleported away only to drop her on top of Pyro. Iceman snickered as he froze the stunned mutants.

"Logan!" Cyclops shouted. The leader of the X-Men was trying to help any of his team that needed it, and had noticed there was someone missing. However, Wolverine ignored the leader's shout, intent as he was on taking off Sabretooth's head.

"Wolverine!" Cyclops shouted again. He growled when the Feral ignored him. No one else seemed to notice the woman everyone was fighting over was missing from the battle field.

"**ENOUGH!**" Cyclops bellowed. Everyone but the two Feral mutants—and the two who were frozen—stopped fighting and looked at him. "She's gone," he stated. Both teams looked around, only to notice the young woman was indeed gone.

"We _have_ to find her!" Jean suddenly cried. Her emerald eyes were wide. "Her human spirit is broken. Her beast is in full control and is disoriented. If anyone crosses her path, she could kill them!"

'_Help each other. Find her.'_

Professor Xavier's voice startled everyone but Magneto and the two Ferals. However, it was enough to cause Logan to stop. Emma walked up to Magneto and whispered something to him. A wry smile curled the man's lips.

"Why should we help you, Charles? All you'll do is lock her up again," Lehnsherr murmured.

'_Erik, she needs help. If, when she's in control, she wants to leave, I won't make her stay.'_

"We won't keep her in the cells unless she becomes a threat to everyone else," Ororo stated surely.

"Fine. You win, Charles. We'll help you," Erik relented.

"She's heading north again," Frost said. Her eyes were unfocused as she followed the escaped Feral mentally. "She's in the sand dunes just northeast of here."

"Let's go," Scott ordered sharply. "Iceman, release Pyro and Mystique."

"Fine…" Bobby grumbled as he relented. The two previously frozen mutants glared at Bobby as they stood up.

"We need to split into groups. We'll cover more ground that way." Scott looked at Magneto.

"Four groups of four. Each has either a Feral or telepath," Mystique suggested. "Magneto?"

"It'll do."

Magneto, Mystique, Juggernaut and Emma became one group; Toad, Pyro, Quill, and Sabretooth became the second. Logan, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Shadowcat made up the third group, leaving Jean, Cyclops, Iceman, and Colossus as the fourth. They set up a system of communication so the others would know if one group found the young Feral woman before the groups separated.

As the groups separated, Scott looked at Jean. "Why are we working _with_ the Brotherhood?" he asked cynically.

"Because the Professor asked," was her reply. Logan, who was walking near their group as they headed into the sands, heard.

"If he asked ya ta jump off a bridge, would ya?" he questioned before walking passed. Scott raised his hand as if to blast him, but Jean put a soft hand on his arm. Kitty walked passed and shrugged, along with Kurt. Storm put a hand on Jean's shoulder.

"Ignore him. He's just frustrated his fight got interrupted," Ororo murmured before she, too, followed Logan.

* * *

The sky darkened quickly after Cougar ran, and the air cooled just as rapidly. Cougar shivered in her flimsy human-clothes as a wind tore through her. She kept moving, but was no longer running. The groups—and more importantly, lion-man-Alpha and claw-man—were far behind her.

She shivered again as the wind cut her to her bones. She knew something was off. Even in the season-of-cold-white in her territory, she hadn't gotten as cold as she was now.

Her stomach gave an angry snarl, reminding her she didn't have a lot of energy left. She needed food sorely, but in this place, food was scarce. She hadn't smelled another living thing since she had ran from the Building. She crossed her arms over her stomach, hoping to dispel the pain that gnawed at her empty core and keep in what little heat she could.

Cougar stumbled, tripping on her own feet. Her legs were shaking and she could barely lift her feet. She couldn't focus her eyes

A whimper escaped her as she tripped again, this time falling. She didn't try to get back up, instead just curling up where she lay in the shift-ground. It was warmer than the air; not by much, but it felt so good to the malnourished Feral. Besides, she couldn't find the energy to get up and continue moving. She was so tired…

Feral black eyes saw a small, blurry figure coming over a shift-ground-hill in front of her. Before she could make anything of the figure, her eyes drifted shut as her body finally gave into the demand for rest; rest it had been denied for a long time.

* * *

"LOGAN! I found her!" Kitty cried, running down the dune to the still form at the bottom. She felt for a pulse. There was one, but it wasn't as strong as it should be. What concerned her more, though, was how cool the woman's skin felt. Jean and Storm had told them the woman had a healing factor like Logan. But Logan always felt feverish…

Kurt 'ported over to Kitty, looking at the unconscious Feral woman over the brunette's shoulder. "She looks pale," the blue mutant observed. "Vhat's wrong wit her?"

"I…I don't know," Kitty whispered. Panic colored her tone, and became more pronounced as she called Logan's name again.

"Kid, I'm right behind ya. Are ya _tryin'_ ta make me deaf?" Logan's gruff voice replied. The two younger X-Men looked behind them to see the Canadian half jogging, half sliding down the dune. Ororo was on top of the dune, making some bolts of lightning flash to alert the other teams.

"Logan, something's wrong with her!" Kitty fretted.

"I'd say. She's not clawed ya yet," was his retort. Kitty and Kurt glared at him.

"I'm serious, Logan! She's cold, and her pulse is weak…" Kitty looked at the woman again. Logan's hazel eyes narrowed.

His hand reached down and brushed against the cub's forehead. "Shit," he murmured quietly. "We're gonna have ta take her to the 'Bird."

He was about to pick the unconscious Feral cub up when a sudden roar sounded, and something body-tackled Logan to the sand. He managed to shove the assailant off as he landed, then got on his feet. A growl sounded when Logan saw Sabretooth, claws out and tensed for a fight.

With a _snikt_, Logan's claws unsheathed. The two circled, like a pair of wolves challenging each other for dominance of a pack.

"Don't touch her," Sabretooth snarled. "She's _**mine!**_"

"She ain't yer's, cat. She don't belong to anyone," Logan retorted.

"ENOUGH!" Storm interrupted the two, causing a bolt of lightning to hit both men. They went flying in opposite directions, stunned. When they recovered, they glared at the white-haired woman. "We need to get her to the Blackbird before she gets hypothermia. She needs to be warmed up."

"Get away from th' cub," Sabretooth growled as Kurt went to teleport her to the jet. The blue mutant gulped and edged away from the unconscious woman slowly. Once the others were away from Kuga, Sabretooth stalked over and lifted her in his arms.

"Let's go." He stalked forward, in the direction Logan and his team came from, following their scent.

"Where's the rest of his team?" Kitty wondered quietly.

"Who knows? Let's go before he leaves us," Storm replied, just as quietly.

* * *

**Meanwhile…in a sandstone cave that has been..._mysteriously_ blocked…**

"Hey! Fur-face! Let us out!" Pyro shouted.

"'Tooth! Ya know I don't like the dark!" Toad whined. "C'mon, man! Let us out!"

"…Pyro, you got something you can torch?" Quill asked.

"Well…I have a random piece of paper in my pocket…"

"Can you torch it so Frog-face here doesn't piss his pants?"

"Hey!" Toad shouted.

"Aw, it the wittle Toadie-Woadie scared?" Pyro teased in a baby-voice.

"Damn it! I'm older than both ya! I ain't scared of the dark! I don't _like_ it!" Toad retorted.

"Just light the damn paper," Quill ordered exasperatedly. A few moments of silence as Pyro checked

"Uh… I can't."

"What do you _mean_ 'you can't'?" Toad demanded.

"I mean I _can't._ I can't _make_ the fire, and…er…my lighter's missing…" That last part was mumbled.

"Great… _now_ what're we gonna do?" Toad asked.

"…Wait until someone figures out where we are?" Quill suggested.

"…Ok." And the other members of Sabretooth's team sat on the ground to wait until someone gets them out.

* * *

**Back at the Blackbird.**

Logan sat across from Sabretooth, watching him as the Blackbird flew back to the Institute. The other man was sitting right next to the cub's head as said cub lay unconscious on a medical table in the jet. The straps held her body still as the jet moved, ensuring she wouldn't fall if Storm had to take evasive action.

The elder Feral male had pinned Jean to the wall of the 'Bird and snarled in her face when the telepath had put the restraints on the cub, only releasing her when Jean had explained the necessity for restraining the cub. Logan was ready to cut Sabretooth's damn head off right then, but held back when Jean told him it wouldn't have been a good idea, since Magneto would probably seek revenge.

After that, the red-head had gone about her business of hooking the youngest of the three Ferals up to a heart monitor and an IV drip.

Logan glanced back at the cub. Her skin was much paler than he remembered it being. The monitor told everyone on the Blackbird that her heart was beating too slowly. Her chest barely rose as she breathed, and it worried Logan. What was even more worrying was the fact that the IV hadn't been forced out of her skin. He knew from experience IVs and the like were forced out of his skin as his healing factor healed the wound.

Jean would occasionally come back and check the cub's temperature or the IV drip before returning to her seat next to Scott and behind Ororo. Colossus sat next to Storm in the co-pilot's chair. Behind Jean and Scott sat Kurt and Bobby. Kitty sat in one of the extra pull-down chairs in the back, the one closest to the front, on the right side of the plane with Logan. Sabretooth and the cub were on the other side, closest to the rear of the plane. The male sat with the cub to his right, making sure the others couldn't get to her without passing him first.

"ETA 5 minutes," Ororo called from her place in the pilot's seat. "Hank has the med bay prepped for Kuga."

"'Bout damn time," Creed muttered. Logan glared at him, but the other Feral ignored it. A soft growl had been coming from the feline, too quiet for anyone but Logan to hear over the 'Bird's engines. Logan itched to stab the man, but resisted the urge. It wouldn't help anything at the moment. Besides, if they started fighting _here_, the others could get hurt, or killed, or they could end up making the jet crash. Not something he wanted to happen.

"We're here," Storm announced as she brought the Blackbird to a hover above the landing pad. Gently, she lowered the jet until a soft bump announced their contact with the pad. Peter and Ororo worked together, quickly shutting off the engines as the pad lowered into the hanger.

Jean walked to the cub, acutely aware of the large, irritated mutant next to her. She took off the restraints and put the table on a rolling support made specifically for that purpose before hooking the drip on a rolling stand.

When the ramp lowered, Jean gently guided the now rolling table off the jet and quickly pushed the cub to the medical bay. Sabretooth was right behind her, so Logan followed to make sure the feline didn't try anything.

Charles was waiting in the hall, but let the first three pass to get the young woman to the infirmary. The rest of the team, however, he took into the conference room to get their report on what happened.

* * *

The blue rug had made the two Ferals leave, saying something about their tension being a negative effect. Sabretooth snarled, extending his claws a few inches as he stalked around the hall.

He knew exactly why he was so anxious, for lack of better word. Creed refused to see it, though. The cub had marked him. The first time they'd met, she'd marked him. _She_ wasn't aware of the repercussions of that act, he knew. But the fact remained that she _had_ marked him.

When the Runt's back was turned, Sabertooth raised a hand to touch the back of his neck, where the cub had bit him during that fight six years ago. It had healed soon after she had been thrown from his neck, but sometimes he could still feel her fangs scraping his vertebrae.

With a low growl, he lowered his hand. "Th' hell's takin' 'em so long?" he snarled.

"They'll come out when they're done," was the reply. With a frustrated growl, Sabretooth walked further down the hall before pulling a small, silver cell out of his trench coat pocket. He dialed a number and waited until the other line picked up.

"It's Creed."

"…No, I'm gonna have to postpone the assignment."

"…Somethin's come up."

"…No."

"…I don't care."

"…If ya want the job done, yer gonna pay me the amount we agreed on."

He snapped the phone shut and stalked back over to the med bay.

"What was that about?" Logan demanded.

"Business," was the terse reply. Logan huffed, but didn't say anything more.

So, the two Ferals stood in the hall, leaning against the wall opposite the medical bay, waiting for information on a woman they'd only met briefly a few times before. But the tenseness of their bodies belayed their urge to rip out the other's throat.

'_Can't wait 'til the bastard leaves,'_ Logan thought. _'This is gonna be a stressful day. Or few days. Or week. God, I hope he doesn't stay for a week. I'm gonna end up killin' somethin' if he does.'_

* * *

…**The part with the two groups working together seems…out of character for them. I know they've worked together before briefly, but still… XP I dunno… I don't really like it… And, once again, I kinda just broke it off…XP**

**This whole chapter is iffy… I just couldn't think how to continue it, and I had to do **_**something**_**… So…yeah…**

**Sorry it took a while. XP RL is **_**really**_** kicking my ass.**

**I'd like to thank everyone for the wonderfully supportive reviews. You all have made my day seem so much better. I mean, no one complained when I complained about RL. Instead you said 'he's a douche' and 'he should be used as Kuga's scratching post' when my ex bf broke up with me, and have told me to basically look at the bright side. You all wished me luck in RL. And it's made me feel so happy.**

**I hope this chapter is ok…I don't want to disappoint you all.**

**You're gonna find out why Sabes has been acting the way he has next chapter. n.n''**

**And finally, yes. I had to put Toad, Quill, and Pyro in there. I needed some comic relief. XP**

**Laters.**


	13. Chapter 13: Waiting and Watching

**CHAPTER WARNINGS: Part of this chapter is quite dark. Not really graphic, since there's no blood, but there **_**are**_** insinuations. I blame Sabretooth and his twisted mind. If you can't deal with that, I'll mark the part with an asterisk (*).**

**Chapter 13: Waiting and Watching**

"**Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future, and renders the present inaccessible." –Maya Angelou**

* * *

Sabretooth and Wolverine stood tensely in the hall outside the medical lab. The former was wondering what the hell he was doing, waiting on the blue rug for information on a fuckin' **cub**. The latter was wondering what the other Feral's obsession with the cub was.

It wasn't for another half hour before the doors opened and the blue rug and the frail telepath stepped out. The two men stood up straight, watching the two doctors warily.

"Well?" Sabretooth demanded when the two just stood near the door.

"It appears Ms. Talonson is severely malnourished and dehydrated," the rug finally stated. "Her body is unable to produce enough energy to sustain her due to the lack of nutrition, which also affects her mutation. Her body was unable to sustain her regenerative healing factor. As you might know, the regenerative healing is what keeps your body temperature above that of people and mutants without the factor.

"Due to the lack of energy, her body has temporarily halted her healing factor. Without the healing factor, her cells began to die off and her body temperature fell to that more common among those without the factor. When she ran, she used up the rest of her energy. When the sun set, her temperature dropped even more because her body lacked the energy to sustain a safe temperature."

"Can you repeat that in _English_, Hank?" the Runt asked sarcastically. Blue nervously adjusted his lab coat.

"It means her body is so cold because she didn't have the energy to support her healing factor. Her mutation has temporarily 'shut off' her factor so her body can recover," the frail explained.

"What's that gotta do with her passin' out?" Sabretooth growled. _This_ was why he couldn't stand doctor folks. They always beat around the bush.

"Kuga has been severely malnourished. Her body has put her in a coma to conserve what energy she has remaining, and to help her gather more energy before her factor will come back on," the red-headed frail spoke as she checked some readings on a chart.

"She's been put on an IV drip to help restore any imbalances her body is suffering from," the rug added.

Sabretooth's expression darkened into something described only as _murderous_ as a low growl started deep in his chest. If _Creed_ hadn't handed the cub over to the white-coats for something as useless as a piece of green paper, _she_ wouldn't be in the situation she was and _he_ wouldn't be in the X-geeks den right now!

******He sorely wished he could deal with this situation like he did every other problem. Sabretooth would lock the one responsible for him being in this situation (Creed) in a room and starve him. After a week, he'd take off a finger every day, moving onto toes after the fingers were gone. Then he'd remove his hands, then feet, and keep removing his arms and legs by the joint. Once all that remained was Creed's head and torso, he'd gut the man, tearing out his organs one by one before he decapitated him.******

Fortunately (for Creed), Sabretooth couldn't do that unless he wanted to destroy himself, and that just wouldn't do.

The feline Feral noticed the frail's face had paled considerably. When he flashed her a fang-filled grin, she turned almost ash-grey. Interrupting a conversation between the Runt and the rug, he asked if there was anything he could do. He had some pent-up aggression he needed to let out.

The frail went back into the lab as the other males led him to a room they called the Danger Room. The Runt reluctantly explained the basics of how to work it before they headed back to the med lab.

As he started up a session and the room changed from metal floor and walls to a dense forest, Sabretooth couldn't help but wonder how good a substitute holographic prey was for living prey.

"Better be pretty damn good, or someone's gonna end up killed," he growled.

* * *

The young woman stayed in the medical bay for a week. Slowly, her healing factor restored itself, though Kuga stayed in a coma. Jean and Hank had worked hard to restore her malnourished body, eventually balancing any nutrient deficiencies, with Sabretooth watching everything they did. While they did that, Xavier looked in her mind to see what happened to the Feral since she ran from the Institute. What he found was worrying.

Her mind was split in two, the Feral and the Human. They were much closer than Logan's though; Kuga's Feral wasn't caged in the depths of her subconscious like the Wolverine. But it was what he found in Kuga's part of the mind that worried him.

The woman had practically caged herself, rather than her beast. Her memories were pushed down deep, like she didn't want to remember them. When he tried to talk with her, Kuga would freak out, and the beast would suddenly be there, snarling and ready to attack.

On the 4th day of Kuga's stay in the medical bay, Charles decided to try a different approach. Rather than seeking the human, the Professor went to the Feral.

The moment he went to the other part of her mind, the Feral was there, watching him. Her obsidian eyes shone in the darkness of the mental room he found himself in.

'…_Mind-speaker. Unless you have a reason for continually invading, get out.'_

The voice startled him; that must have amused the Feral because she did a sort of purring chuckle.

'_Please excuse me. I did not mean to cause any trouble. My name is Professor Charles Xavier,'_ he responded. A flash of white, fanged teeth came from her corner of the room as she gracefully prowled closer.

'_No-head-fur-man. I remember you, sitting in that strange blood-earth-metal-chair. You were there when I woke up in the strange cave-room-cell. Black-head-fur-man…blood-earth-metal-claw man was there, too.'_ The Feral stopped a few yards from him. Her amused expression dropped.

'_Why'd you cause the partner-of-mind-and-soul fear?'_ she demanded.

Charles found himself struggling to understand the Feral woman's thoughts. He understood after a few moments of thought.

Partner-of-mind-and-soul must be her human half, he mused to himself.

'_My apologies. I did not realize my presence would cause Kuga so much fear.'_

'_Mind-speakers are prey-stealers.'_ She must have sensed the confusion Xavier felt, because she paused for a moment before saying, _'Other half and Cougar have bad…experience with mind-speakers.'_

Intrigued, he found himself asking, _'What kind of experience? Would you mind showing me a memory?'_

Black eyes stared at the telepath, studying him. After a long moment, the Feral—Cougar, he reminded himself—nodded.

'_Follow. No touch.'_

Xavier did as he was told and didn't touch anything as Cougar led him down a hall with doors. She stopped at a door with the label of _Peace-20 Seasons after Alpha Attacked._

The young Feral opened the door and led him into the room. She told him to wait where he was as she shifted through memories. When she returned, Cougar held what looked like an I-Pad. She held it out to him. As he grabbed it, the memory started playing…

_**1 year ago**_

_**Her other half was almost asleep after a long day. Cougar knew it was almost moon-high, but she was alert. More alert than any time since they'd found a place to settle. Something was wrong.**_

_**Cougar forced her human awake. She looked around, wary, but didn't find anything to cause alarm. Still, Cougar kept her alert.**_

_**The little-tiger-of-cloudy-skies sprinted in her sleep-den-bedroom, screeching. His pelt was fluffed, like clouds, as he hid under her nest-bed.**_

_**The human was definitely alert now, cautiously looking around their apartment-den. She was going to brush it off, Cougar knew it. So Cougar started warning.**_

**Run! Escape! Get away!**

_**The partner-of-mind-and-soul ignored her. As she looked into the food-making-kitchen, Cougar tried again.**_

**Get out! Run!**

_**She was tense, ready to fight. Cougar knew she needed to run.**_

**Get away! Not Safe! Escape!**

'**Cougar! There's nothing in the apartment! Why do I have to run?'**_** her human snapped.**_

**Danger! Not safe!**

_**Cougar felt when the mind-speaker entered their mind, but the human was too focused on the physical to sense it.**_

Nowhere to run…

**Run! Mind-speaker means harm!**

_**The human finally listened, running into their sleep-den-bedroom and grabbed a bag to put clothes in before putting shoes on and grabbing her money-holder-wallet and phone. Then she ran out of the apartment-den.**_

No escape…

_**The partner-of-mind-and-soul called her two closest pack-mates and left messages telling them she had to leave.**_

You can't get away…

_**The human was frantic now, like a hunted rabbit.**_

Just submit…

_**She shouted at the voice, "Like 'ell I'm gonna submit! Whaddya want with me?" The mind-speaker laughed.**_

Just submit. Make it easier for yourself…

"_**No!"**_

_**It was then the human realized a predator was following her. "Leamme th'**_** fuck**_** alone!" she snarled. The predator chuckled, sending Cougar from scared to terrified and sending shivers down the human part's spine.**_

**Run! Get away! Predator! Can't protect territory from hunter! Too strong!**

_**Cougar knew she wasn't helping. But she was feeling more and more like prey.**_

_**Her other half started drifting. Her mind was getting lost between the mind-speaker, Cougar, and the sensations, feelings, scents, and sounds she was getting. The mind-speaker was causing her to lose control.**_

_**The human stopped running and threw up. She couldn't get back up, couldn't find her legs. Cougar pushed her back, almost gently, like one would a young cub. Even as she took control, Cougar could feel her human being pulled away by the storm of sensations.**_

…

Cougar stopped the memory short, pulling the I-Pad-like object out of Xavier's hand.

'_Kuga not herself,'_ she murmured. _'White-coats break her spirit. Afraid of everything and everyone…'_ Her voice held a sad tone, and her shoulders were rounded as she avoided Xavier's eyes, looking down.

'_Cougar, can you tell me what happened while you and Kuga were with these white-coats; how Kuga's spirit was broken?'_ he asked softly. Cougar looked at him, keeping her head bowed. This mind-speaker was not demanding to know, but was willing to control his curiosity for her comfort.

'…_Yes. Not now. Tired…'_ Cougar replied, just as softly. And Charles knew it was the truth. She _was_ tired. And he knew she would tell him what happened.*

'_Very well. I will leave you to rest and regain your energy. Thank you for trusting me, Cougar…'_ The professor carefully made his way out of Cougar's mind and back into the physical world. As he made his way back to his office, he contemplated what he learned about the young Feral woman.

* * *

A young man hid in the shadowed doorway of an apartment in Chicago. His chocolate brown eyes were hidden by his muddy creek water brown hair. The bangs had been roughly cut so he could see, but the back reached below his shoulders, almost mid-back. His face was unshaved, and a layer of dirt covered most of his body, some places thicker than others. His clothes were riddled with holes and hung off his frame, showing how thin he was.

He crouched down further into the shadows of the doorway. He could hear the soldiers looking for him; hear their _thoughts._ At the moment, though, he wished he could disappear into the shadows rather than hear people's thoughts.

He held his breath as a group of uniformed soldiers passed his hiding place, only releasing it when he couldn't hear their footsteps anymore. He sagged against the brick frame of the doorway as his strength seemed to fail him.

"_Two-tongue?"_ a voice called softly. The telepath looked up and saw a hawk.

"_Here, Tal,"_ he responded in the same tongue. _"Did you find any shelter?"_

"_Yes. Two streets over, there's an abandoned building,"_ the bird responded.

The man nodded and pushed himself off the doorway. The hawk alighted on his shoulder, mindful of his claws. The two cautiously made their way down the darkened street to the building. The moonless night helped to hide them from unwanted eyes.

"_Here,"_ the hawk suddenly said. The telepath stopped and looked around. As he was told, there was indeed an abandoned apartment. He slipped through a broken window and carefully made his way up to the top floor. It provided him with a quick getaway; he could get on the roof and jump across to one of the neighboring buildings.

"_Thanks, Thunder Talon,"_ he said.

"_It's the least I can do after you helped me, Two-tongue,"_ the hawk replied.

"_I couldn't leave you to starve…"_ he mumbled, already half asleep. If hawks could smile, this one would have.

"_Sleep, Two-Tongue. I'll get you up if there's danger."_

"_Ge' me up at dawn… We need ta keep movin'…"_ The telepath nodded off, with the hawk keeping a sharp eye and ear out for any trouble.

* * *

During the young Feral woman's stay in the med bay, it became a common sight to see Sabretooth standing in the corner, his sharp eyes on the cub. He only permitted the blue rug, the telepathic frail, and the old bald man to touch her, and even that caused a quiet growl to rumble in his chest. The only time he left was to do a session in the Danger Room (which never took more than 30 minutes) or to get food, but he'd always bring his meal down and eat in the bay (which never failed to cause the frail to glare at him). He'd only get his food when there was someone in the lab, though. The first time he came back to find the doctor (Hank) had left before Sabretooth returned, he went off on Hank. Now, they made sure either the Professor, Jean, or Beast was in the room the whole time the Feral was gone.

During the 5th day, Logan cornered Sabretooth as he was leaving to get lunch. The old man was in there, doing some mind trick with the cub, so he figured she was safe enough.

"Sabretooth." The calm tone in which his name was said made him stop fast. The feline Feral turned his head to acknowledge Logan's presence.

"What interest do you have in the cub?" he demanded in a quiet voice. Sabretooth smirked as his obsidian eyes glinted sharply.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he replied, almost _teasingly_ as he walked away. He was _not_ about to reveal he'd been marked, _**least**_ of all to the Runt.

On the evening of the 7th day, Kuga was moved from the lab to an empty room in the teacher's wing, near Logan's room. Sabretooth moved with her, a constant presence around the young Feral.

It was strange for Logan to see this side of the other man. He was used to the aggressive, bloodthirsty Sabretooth. Compared to how he normally was in the presence of Wolverine, Creed seemed almost…_tame._ He still flashed his fangs when he was irritated, but no one had been maimed (yet) and he stayed out of the way, for the most part.

The day after Kuga was moved, the professor sent Jean, Logan, and Kitty to Chicago to pick up a young man who was in need of help. Charles said the man was a weak telepath, but his primary mutation was the ability to understand and speak to animals in their tongue. When they came back, the new mutant was given the tour of the mansion, like every other mutant brought to Xavier's.

Sabretooth was sitting in the cub's room when he heard them coming. He inhaled, getting their scents; Shadowcat and Iceman, then a new kid. He smelled like bird and street, so he was probably living on the streets for a while. The bird was either from living in a bird's house or living with a bird. Under that was the scent of cayenne pepper, and rain-laden air. Even less prominent than the pepper and rain was a distinct scent he _knew._

The Feral glanced at the cub. The new kid and his cat were related…somehow.

He got up and prowled to the door, startling the three mutants when he opened it. When the two X-Men saw who stood in the doorway, they paled.

"S-Sabretooth…" the frail whispered.

"Sorry, sir," the new kid said quietly. "We didn't mean to disturb you." He kept his gaze on the Feral's feet, not meeting Sabretooth's piercing gaze.

The feline studied the kid. He was in a new pair of sweats and he'd recently showered; his below-shoulder-length muddy brown hair was still damp. His bangs had been chopped off, probably with a knife on the run. On his shoulder sat a red-tail hawk. (Sabretooth wondered briefly if the old man was aware the new kid had a bird in the mansion, before pushing the thought away.)

He was larger than the cub, broader in the shoulders, with more muscle, but he could see similarities in the nose, the shape of the eyes, the eyebrows…

Sabretooth narrowed his eyes, but only growled as he returned to the cub's side. If the kid _was_ related to his kitten, he'll be back.

Kitten… Heh. She _was_ a kitten, wasn't she? Something to be protected, taught, and hidden from others until she grew into the cougar she was inside. Sabretooth contemplated that as he kept vigil over the unconscious young Feral.

* * *

Two-Tongue glared at his guides, but held his tongue until they were in the kitchen.

"Why the _hell_ did no one find it necessary to inform me _Sabretooth_ was staying here?" he demanded quietly. He didn't want his voice to carry. He knew Ferals had heightened senses, something he learned before his parents chucked him out of the house. Even though they were some distance from the room Sabretooth was in, if they were loud enough, the Feral would still hear them.

"Actually, _why_ is he here?"

"Uh…surprise?" Kitty questioned.

"Why is who here?" a voice asked. Two-tongue, Kitty, and Iceman turned to see Jean and a brunet with red glasses he hadn't met. But, based on news casts, he had a hunch. The brunet raised an eyebrow upon seeing the hawk on Two-tongue's shoulder, but didn't ask.

"You must be Cyclops," Two-tongue said. The brunet nodded, offering his hand.

"Scott Summers, codename Cyclops. I'm an instructor here at the Institute." Two-tongue took the man's hand.

"Pleasure to meet you. To answer your question, Jean," he said, turning to the red-head, "We encountered big, bad, dark, and Feral on the tour."

"I see. Well, the Professor would like to see you. I'm sure he'll answer your question," Jean smiled.

"If you'll follow me, I'll take you to the Professor's office," Scott said. As if as a second thought, he turned to Two-tongue's guides. "Kitty, Bobby, Logan wants you in the Danger Room. He said your training session was supposed to start 10 minutes ago…?"

"Oh, no!" Kitty wailed. "Oh, he's gonna be **so** mad!"

"Sorry, man, we gotta bail before Logan brings us back in body bags," Bobby said apologetically. With a nervous grin, he grabbed Kitty's wrist and the two appeared to melt into the floor.

Two-tongue stared at the spot the two had been standing before looking at Jean and Scott.

"…They won't _really_ be brought back in body bags, will they?" he asked worriedly after a moment. Jean laughed, but Scott's expression remained serious.

"They might," he replied.

"Scott! Don't say that!" Jean laughed. "Don't worry. Logan won't kill them; he'll just push them harder than he usually does."

"Well, if you're sure…"

"They'll be sore for a bit, but they'll be fine," Jean assured him.

"C'mon, let's get you up to the professor's office," Scott said, leading the trio back into the heart of the mansion.

"_Two-tongue, why were you so shocked when you saw lion-man?"_ the hawk asked.

"_Lion-man? Oh, you must mean Sabretooth. That's what he goes by."_ Two-tongue shook his head briefly. _"Sorry, got off track. Sabretooth is often more associated with the Brotherhood, a group of mutant-supremacy freaks. I also heard he's a killer for hire. Seeing him __**here**__, at the base of the X-Men was not something I was expecting."_

"_I see."_

The two lapsed into silence, though Scott shot Two-tongue a few odd glances. It didn't take long to reach the office, and once they did, Jean and Cyclops left, saying they had classes to teach.

Two-tongue raised his hand to knock, but a kind, gentle, male voice permitted him entrance before his fist met the wood. As he entered, he commented, "Thaaaat's gonna take some getting used to."

The bald man behind the desk (whom Two-tongue guessed to be the Professor) chuckled quietly. "I apologize. I often forget newcomers are not used to telepathic conversations."

"Don't worry, sir. I got used to voices in my head some time ago. It's people actually speaking _to_ me mentally that'll take a while."

"I'm sure. Come, sit down." The Professor motioned to one of the chairs in front of his desk, and Two-tongue took a seat, brushing his choppy bangs out of his eyes. _'I'll have to cut them again soon,'_ he thought.

"I am Professor Charles Xavier."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor. I am James Talonson, also called Two-tongue or Mind-speaker by the creatures. My companion is Thunder Talon."

"It is a pleasure to meet both of you," Xavier said.

"So, Professor, what did you want to talk to me about?" James asked.

* * *

***Animals have no need to lie. The world is how it is, they did what they did. Thus, Cougar, being the Feral/animalistic part of Kuga, would be the same way.**

**OMG. I can't believe how quickly I finished this chapter! I started typing it on Monday (November 12) and finished it just this afternoon (Friday, November 16). …Maybe my muses haven't completely abandoned me.**

**Yeah, I got this one out unusually early. Sorry to my regular reviewers who didn't really have time to respond. n.n"**

**So…I brought James back! Dunno why…but he wouldn't leave me alone. If you don't remember who he is, go back to chapter 2.**

…**I seem to be bringing back quite a few OCs. 3 chapters ago, I brought back Feron (not to spoil anything, but I do believe he'll be making another appearance), and now I'm bringing back James. Hmmm… **

**I'm actually **_**happy**_** with this chapter! Much happier than I was with the last one… But it seems to jump around a lot… What do you think?**

**I also have part of the next chapter written, as well. I went to an art museum yesterday for my art class, and it was an hour and a half long bus ride. So I wrote. Part of it was written last Thursday, when I went to the art museum for the first time. (We were working on a digital project, and it took 2 days to finish.) Part written yesterday.**

**In completely unrelated news, I had a dream last night. About Victor Creed. Trying to kill me. Originally, he was trying to kill this woman's son, who was only, like 4 or something. I guess Creed had taken the woman's husband hostage. Well, I was a shapeshifter, and did an exchange in place of the woman. Herself for her husband (when it had changed to that, I don't know, but it did). So, I changed into the woman and wore some of her clothes. When I went to the drop, the woman's husband was shoved outta Creed's car, and he raised a gun to me. I refused to get out of the vehicle, so he shot me. Only I had put my hands up to protect my face, cause somehow I knew I could do that. The bullet nicked my right middle finger, and Creed glared at me and said, "**_**You.**_**" Dunno what I did to make him pissed at me, but next thing I know, he's trying to pull me outta my car. I jump out, and then (I have a wonderfully stupid idea…) jump in front of his car. (-.- Told ya.) He tries to run me over, and I just roll over the top of his white car. (Really weird.) He repeatedly tries this, and I just roll over the top. Next thing I know, we're both in my **_**house**_**, and he's still in his car. He chases me around the house in his stupid white little car, and eventually I decide to go in my back yard. I jump on the shed (which is, like, 10 feet tall or something) and look around at the chickens running around. Creed follows me, but I see a rabbit, and I chase it like Kuga would. (Guess I was a shapeshifting Feral…) Then my dad woke me up for school…**

**Yeah. If I could remember **_**everything**_** about that dream, it would make an **_**awesome**_** story. But I can't, so I won't. I'm just gonna put it here.**

**And in even **_**more**_** unrelated news, I finally got **_**X-Men Origins: Wolverine: Uncaged**_** the video game for the PS3! I've been playing that, and got to the part where you have to 'talk' to Gambit. (The game doesn't follow the movie exactly, but there are definitely similarities.) I've tried to defeat him **_**3 fuckin' times,**_** but he always evades me by jumping on some scaffolding in the casino! DX **I really, _really,__** really, REALLY**_** hate Gambit at the moment. But it's a fun game! XD**

**ANYway…Hope you liked the chapter, and my weird (awesome, and funny) dream. (Seriously, every time I think about it, I start laughing! Dunno why, but I do. Guess I just find it funny that Sabretooth couldn't kill me in my dream. Or that I kept rolling over his car. That was fun!)**

**I'd like feedback! (…Damn. This is one long ass AN. Over 700 words just for this part!)**

**Ok, I'm gonna go, before I can think of anything else to say. (I can be as bad as—or worse than—Wade Wilson. …Damn it!)**

**Laters! (Once again, before I can think of anything else to say…)**


	14. Chapter 14: Awakening

**Once again, part of this chapter is quite gruesome. I apologize, however, I cannot change what Cougar is. She is a predator, a hunter. No matter how you look at it. Just like Creed is a predator. If you don't like that sorta stuff, or you're squeamish, don't read it. You've been warned, thus, if you flame me, or say I need to change it, you're gonna be ignored. Simple truths.**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Awakening**

**"Waking up is sometimes the most difficult part of life." -Anon.**

* * *

"I am Professor Charles Xavier."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor. I am James Talonson, also called Two-tongue or Mind-speaker by the creatures. My companion is Thunder Talon," the young man said, gesturing to the hawk perched on his shoulder.

"It is a pleasure to meet both of you," Xavier said.

"So, Professor, what did you want to talk to me about?" James asked.

"As I'm sure you've been told, this place is a safe haven for mutants. Young mutants can learn to control their mutation as well as continue their normal education," the bald telepath said, moving his wheelchair to sit in front of his desk.

"But that's not what I'm here for, is it?" James stated, more than questioned. The professor smiled.

"Do you, by any chance, have relatives you were close to?"

The question caught the young man off guard. "Uh…yeah. But I haven't heard from my sister for a few years… Why?"

"I see… Just something I needed to confirm…" Charles then changed the topic, or at least that's how James saw it.

"About 6 years ago, I picked up a mutant's signature with a machine I call Cerebro. With this machine, I can enhance my telepathy and search the world for mutants who might need the help and support provided by the Institute.

"This particular mutant was a Feral mutant; it is difficult on the best of days to pick up on Feral mutations since their signature is similar to that of animals. It was by pure luck I managed to pick up this particular mutant."

James froze. 6 years? His sister 'left' about 6 years ago… "Did…Did he have a feline based mutation?"

Xavier chuckled. "Yes, _she_ did."

"She? Kuga…Kuga was here?" James's eyes lit up.

"She was. I had a small team of our more experienced mutants pick her up. She had set up a territory in the Canadian Rocky mountains. Her Feral was in control during the time, and for several days after we brought her here."

"I wouldn't doubt it…" James muttered, absently stroking Thunder Talon's chest.

"Why is that?"

"When she was kicked out of the house, the MCA, or MRA, or whatever they're called now, were hunting her. When Kuga's in any sort of danger, Cougar comes out to protect her. Cougs will ensure there wasn't any possible danger to her other half before giving control back to Kuga."

"I see." The Professor's keen eyes studied the young man before him.

"Please continue, sir," James said as Talon fluttered over to a lampshade.

"The night after Kuga regained control, she had a nightmare. I am unsure what it was about, but it caused her to run. Logan followed her to Peekskill, a town on the Hudson River. There, he found Cougar, who had once again regained control, fighting another feline Feral mutant called Sabretooth."

"You have _got_ to be shitting me. Kuga fought against _Sabretooth_ and _lived?_" James questioned incredulously. It's not that he didn't have faith in his sister, not in the slightest. But even _he_ had heard about how violent Sabretooth could be. That was the main reason he was so shocked to see the Feral residing in one of the staff rooms.

"According to Logan, she was severely injured, but yes, she lived," Charles responded. "We lost track of her for the next 6 years. I could not locate her, even using Cerebro. It was only last Monday that I was able to discern her location to be in Death Valley, California."

"What was she doing _there_?" James asked, almost to himself, resting his head in a hand. "She never liked the heat… If she were to go anywhere, I'd expect it to be the Rockies, or the Northern Seaboard. Even the Great Lakes…"

"I believe she was captured by someone, because she was in a mutant testing facility. I do not know how long she was there for, but she had been severely malnourished. I had my team retrieve her from the desert near the facility." Xavier's normally bright eyes seemed dull as he thought about what the young woman must have been through.

James's expression blanked, becoming an unreadable mask. He straightened slowly and stilled, stopping his absent-mindedly rocking foot. Slowly, he lowered his hand until it rested on the arm of the chair. His eyes were cold; more aptly described as frozen mud than warm chocolate. Anger simmered in him colder than arctic ice, yet hotter than lava. Talon's golden eyes watched his human companion warily from a lampshade, shuffling his wings as the cold aura washed over him.

"…Those…those _**bastards**_," James hissed. His voice was just a whisper, but the hate, venom, and protective rage sounded clear as a bell in the quiet office. "I'll kill _every last God damn one_."

"I'm afraid that privilege has already been taken," the Professor responded. James's dark chocolate eyes narrowed as they locked onto the elder telepath's face. "When Kuga escaped, many of the people were either injured or killed."

James glared at nothing in particular. He needed to vent, and he needed to vent _bad._

* * *

It was noon, and Logan was in the kitchen, making what Bobby called a Wolverine Sandwich: bacon, turkey, ham, chicken…really, he'd put whatever on it.

The Feral was just sitting down to eat his sandwich when a buzzing in his mind distracted him.

"_Logan,"_ Charles's voice echoed in said man's mind.

"_Yeah, Chuck?"_ Logan sighed. If the Professor is contacting him, then something's up, and his break was about to be cut short.

"_James, the mutant you picked up earlier, is going to be there in a few minutes. He requires something to work his anger off."_

Logan raised an eyebrow. _"Why?"_

"_His sister is Kuga. He just found out what's happened during the past 7 years."_

"_Ah."_ Logan sighed again. This was supposed to be his off time! His first class was at 8 in the morning and ended at 9:25. (He was finished with that class before they were sent to pick the kid up.) His next—and last—class was at 2. The time in between classes was supposed to be time he _didn't_ have to babysit a bunch of teens. Today, half of that was used getting the kid, during which he had to deal with Kitty. Did he _really_ want to relinquish his remaining 2 hours of free time?

"…_What about Scott?"_ he tried.

"_He is teaching a class at the moment, as you very well know,"_ came the amused reply, _"as are Jean and Ororo. Hank had to leave to attend a UN conference."_

Logan growled. Of _course_ he'd have to cut his time short. He heard the Professor sigh.

"_Logan, if James doesn't get rid of his anger, he is liable to snap. He may not be a high-level telepath like Jean and myself, but he is a telepath."_

Logan knew what the Professor was saying. Having a telepath lose control would not be good, especially not in a school full of young mutants who haven't learned how to fend off psychic attacks yet. Even Level 2 telepaths like James could knock most of the students into unconsciousness for a few hours if they blew their top.

"_Fine. I'll do it. But you owe me one,"_ the feral agreed.

"_Thank you, Logan,"_ Xavier said. Then the Omega-level mutant was gone.

With a grudging sigh, Logan put his sandwich in the refrigerator with a longing look then made to stand in the kitchen entryway, waiting for the kid.

* * *

Cougar woke up before her other half. Her human counter-part was both terrified and exhausted, unable to drag herself out of the depths of their mind. So Cougar took control when she felt well enough to do so.

The first thing she noticed was she was warm. The second was there were two very familiar scents in the room-den she was in. The first was one she'd not scented for years, but would remember even if she didn't smell it for another decade. Her litter-mate. The second was just as familiar, but for an entirely different reason; her alpha had been in—possibly still was—in her room-den.

The third thing she noticed was she was craving blood. Not surprising, considering the fact she'd not hunted for many years, but the surge of bloodlust nearly knocked the feline out again.

Jumping out of the nest-bed, Cougar let her nose work to find the best place to sate her bloodlust.

Out the door, down the hall, down some stairs, and into a room. A room filled with cubs; all with some sort of mutation or another. She started stalking one, when something attacked her, pinning her to the ground. With a warning growl, Cougar tried to get the thing off of her back, but it was too heavy.

The thing—her nose told her male Feral—dragged her to her feet, locking his arms under hers and behind her head, so she couldn't move them.

"Don't let 'er scratch ya, it'll only make it worse," a dark, smooth voice said from behind her.

"Think I don't know that, Creed?" the man holding her snarled. "I can't hold 'er like this fer ever."

"Pin 'er again." Cougar froze, then struggled even harder. No way was she letting herself get pinned by either of these two men—which she knew from scent were Feral; one was her alpha. At the moment, she _really_ didn't want to deal with her alpha. She wanted _**blood.**_

The Feral holding her growled, but pinned Cougar to the floor again, moving his arms to hold down both of hers. She fought and snarled, and growled and kicked, but the man was too heavy for the young feline to move.

She froze again when a large, clawed hand grabbed her by the nape of her neck. Instinct told her not to move unless told to. When the hand didn't let go, she let herself fall limp. She was panting, and the bloodlust only grew as the seconds passed.

"Let 'er up now, Runt." The smooth voice sent a shudder down her spine.

Hesitantly, the man stood up, releasing Cougar from her pinned position. She stayed on the ground, limp, until the clawed hand pulled her up. Obediently, she stood, keeping herself lax. She wouldn't disobey her alpha, no matter what he did to her. She was his submissive; she couldn't ever be his alpha.

"Le's go, kitten." A gentle pressure on her neck had Cougar walking in front of her alpha, head and eyes down. She whined as he led her away from her prey—fresh, panicked prey, full of warm blood—but didn't fight. She _couldn't_ fight.

Her alpha led her through halls and doors until they were outside, and continued to lead her further from the den of fresh prey and into the trees. Once a distance in the trees, he stopped.

"I'm gonna let ya go now. If ya try ta head back to the mansion before yer lust's sated…" he let the threat hang over her.

Slowly, he let go of Cougar's neck. She didn't make a move to head back to the den, but instead tested the air for more prey. Catching a scent, she looked at lion-man-alpha for a moment before following it, staying silent even with the leaf litter.

She could sense lion-man-alpha following her. She turned sharply, facing the man with her fangs bared. Alpha or not, this was _her_ hunt, _her_ prey. And she wasn't about to let _**anyone**_ take it from her.

He chuckled softly, amused at her antics. "I ain't gonna take yer prey, kitten. Jus' keepin' an eye on ya." His smooth voice made her relax as she continued her hunt.

She stayed downwind of the prey, so she didn't startle it. As she moved closer and closer, she slowed down, eyes, ears and nose alert for any sign of the beast.

_There!_ In a clearing! _There_ was her prey, a large buck, grazing on sweet grass. Her claws itched to be tearing into his hide, to feel his warmth as his blood splashed her. The claws on her hands slowly elongated until they were fully extended—at least 8 inches long.

She stalked her prey, sticking to the shadows of the trees so the buck wouldn't see her coming. Step after silent step, quiet breath after quiet breath, she moved toward the edge of the clearing; the buck unwittingly moved just _that much closer_ to the tree line. Cougar shifted her weight to the balls of her feet, ready to pounce on her prey. Her midnight eyes never left the creature's body, never blinked, never shifted.

The buck drew nearer while he grazed, never knowing the danger he was in. His ear flicked, ridding itself of a pesky fly. He continued life as usual, not realizing he was drawing his last breaths.

Finally, _finally_, Cougar pounced with a snarl. The buck started, tried to escape, but he was to slow. Cougar landed squarely on his back, 8 inch claws digging into his shoulders. He bucked up, trying to throw the Feral off him, but she held on tight. Her fangs sought purchase in his neck, seeking to end the buck's life quickly. Sweet, warm blood flooded her mouth as she clamped down on the neck. The buck fell, and as he landed, Cougar broke his neck, thus ending his struggling.

She gave a triumphant roar that echoed through the forest as the buck ceased twitching. Movement on the edge of the clearing made her crouch over her kill, fangs bared and a warning growl rumbling in her throat.

Lion-man-alpha stepped out of the trees, a smirk on his face as he took in Cougar's appearance. Blood ran down her chin and was on her hands, running down her arms, was splashed on her neck and stained the shirt and sweats the Institute had provided for her.

Her fangs flashed again, bloodstained and sharp. He knew exactly what she was saying; _'My kill. Get your own.'_

"Already told ya, I ain't gonna take yer kill, Kitten," he chuckled. Her obsidian eyes narrowed as she watched him lean against a tree. When he made no other moves, she warily turned back to her kill. She tore off a chunk of flesh from the shoulder, reveling in the taste of blood as it coated her tongue. Cougar quickly swallowed and tore another chunk off, making quick work of the beast.

Once she ate her fill, the young Feral hesitantly tore off one of the untouched hindquarters, carrying it over to her alpha as she crawled on the ground, head low. She looked up at him as she put the meaty leg down in front of him before scurrying away. She watched as he picked it up and tore into it like one would a chicken leg.

Pleased, Cougar searched for more prey. The buck had dealt with most of the bloodlust, but she wanted more. She quickly picked out the scent of squirrel nearby.

* * *

**Firstly, I wish to say I am terribly sorry for the parents of those little children killed in Connecticut. I may not have children, and I don't know how much this hurts. But to have ANYONE go through that… I'm sorry… That… if my brother were to be killed…I'd be useless to the world for a **_**long**_** time… I can imagine that's what you all are going to do, at least for a while…**

**Secondly, I would like to thank all of my reviewers, especially those who review most every chapter. So, this shout out goes to: **soaringphoenix86, BoooYouWhore, Nyx811, UKJ, SBPride, **and** CjtheShort**. Thank you for your continuing support! I don't know if any of you know how happy it makes me feel when I see faithful reviewers who continuously provide me with ideas and support. I also wish to thank my anonymous reviewer, and anyone else who has reviewed.**

**Does anyone know what happened to **Djbirdywantstofly, lilyoftheval5, XNothing-With-Orange-InX, luckymickey619, 2011Gokurocks18110411**, and **High Lady Nyx**? I'm kinda missing their reviews…**

**Thirdly, I'd like to apologize for how short this chapter is and for how long it took to get this chapter out… I've been lacking motivation to type up what I've written over Thanksgiving break and at school… XP But I have a bunch written. So maybe next chapter'll come easier?**

**The other part of the reason this took so long is: I need to rework my entire plot outline. Remember in Chapter 11, how I said I have a semblance of a plot worked out, and I hope no one takes off with it? Well, since someone dragged James into the story (maybe it was Kuga, it could have been James himself, I don't know), I have to figure out how it's gonna affect the plot. He wasn't originally part of the plot… My muses enjoy taunting me, don't they… -.-'**

**If you have any ideas, please share! I'm running a bit low… XP**

**If you haven't already, I'd suggest listening to **_**Objects In The Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are**_**, by Meatloaf. It's a beautiful song, totally fits with Kuga (or part of it does…) and it's based on Meatloaf's real life experiences… Here's a link to listen to it with the lyrics. Just take out the spaces: **

www . youtube watch ? v = E4WX08FQOq8

**In other news, I've finally gotten past Gambit in my **_**X-Men Origins: Wolverine: Uncaged Edition**_** game… Thanks to my brother. . He hadn't even played the game before, didn't know the controls or ANYTHING, and he manages to figure out how to beat the damn Cajun! I defeated Deadpool after only the 3****rd**** try! I'm so happy... (I'm sorry to say that Creed was only too easy. Sorry Vic, but it's true.) And now, all that's left is getting the rest of the awards… Finding all of the dogtags (if I'm not mistaken, I have 93 out of 95… Maybe 94…), finding a sword, beating the game on Hard… There's more, but I can't remember at the time. I have most of the awards, but not all.**

**Finally, I have another poll up for you all to take. It's about Kuga herself. I'm keeping the first poll open for a bit longer, though. Probably until the next chapter…**

**I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, if you celebrate it. If not…Hope you had a good week! And, since I doubt I'm gonna have the next chapter up before the Holidays, Happy Holidays! Hope everyone has a good break!**

**Sorry again… Laters!**

**Risika**


	15. Chapter 15: Her Greatest Fear

**Chapter 15: Her Greatest Fear**

**"And while you're outside looking in/ Describing what you see/Remember what you're staring at is me" -Stone Sour, _Through Glass_**

* * *

Cougar lounged on her stomach in a tree, purring contently. Tufts of fur were caught under her claws, the remains of the unfortunate squirrel scattered under the tree. Her half-closed eyes watched her Alpha as he finished her last catch. She didn't understand what had changed, but she felt much more at ease around lion-man. Lazily, she started cleaning her claws of the blood and fur from her kills.

It was quiet in the trees. Birds sang to each other and the insects sounded. No danger, other than herself and her alpha.

It felt _good_ to be in the trees, to feel the sun warm her skin, to be away from walls and cold cement and blood-earth-metal. To be free of the white-coats.

She growled as she thought of what those _humans_ did to her. Did to her other half. Lion-man-alpha swiftly turned his attention to her, then their surroundings, looking for what might have caused her to growl. Cougar shook her head, jumping out of her tree.

She trailed her claws on trees and grasses, not knowing when she would next be caught. She didn't want to forget the feel and scent of the outside world.

* * *

James struggled to get out of Logan's iron grip. They'd been sparring for an hour or so, Logan teaching the young telepath how to fight. So far, the younger man had been unsuccessful in taking the Feral down.

Logan let James go suddenly, causing the telepath to fall to the mat. Talon watched from the rafters, intrigued by this interaction.

"Better. You leave yerself open when you counter, though. With time, you will get better," he stated, helping the brunet up.

James nodded, panting. He felt better. He still wanted to kill something, but he wasn't in any danger of attacking the closest breathing person. He may be calmer than his sister, but James still had a temper; his was simply not as short as Kuga's. When his fuse was lit, he would become a force of nature, able to take down anyone but the most trained people.

Like Logan.

"…Go shower, then I'll ask Chuck if you can see yer sister," the man ordered.

"Logan, thanks for doing this. I couldn't live with myself if I hurt anyone," James said quietly.

"Don't mention it, kid."

James headed out after Talon glided down to take his spot on the speaker's shoulder.

* * *

Ten minutes later, James was outside, looking for his sister. Talon wheeled lazily above the trees as two-tongue spoke with the prey-animals.

"_I saw the girl further in the trees. She was hunting a buck, and a lion-man was following her," _a squirrel informed him.

"_Thanks. Do you know which way they went?"_ The squirrel told James the way he should go then scurried off, stating he didn't want to end up as dinner. James shook his head, smiling. Squirrels…

Two-tongue made his way further into the woods surrounding the Institute, listening to the squirrels talk about how they had found a good nut tree and the birds argue about whose tree was whose, or just twittering about how their fledglings were about ready to head out into the world. Really, the animals were just as bad as humans sometimes.

A robin stopped him by a particularly large birch tree.

"_Where are you going, no-feather?"_ she asked. James looked up, a smile on his face.

"_I'm looking for my sister. I heard from a squirrel she came this way with a lion-man,"_ he responded.

"_You can understand me?! I never knew no-feathers could speak the language of birds!"_ she twittered.

"_I may be the only one who can,"_ he laughed. _"But, I really must find my sister."_

"_Oh, I'm sorry! Yes, yes, I saw a man and a young lady further this way. Come, follow me, follow me!" _the robin sang.

"_Two-tongue, someone's heading toward the Institute,"_ Talon said, alighting upon James's shoulder.

"_Thanks, Tal. I'll let the Professor know."_ He let the little robin lead him as he reached out with his mind.

'_**Professor?'**_

'_**Yes, James, I can hear you.'**_

'_**Talon has informed me there is someone heading to the Institute. I wasn't sure if you knew, but I wanted to make sure.'**_

'…_**Thank you James. Have you found your sister?'**_

'_**Not yet, but I have a guide. I'm not able to keep this up for long. I'll be back before dark.'**_

James stopped, leaning against a tree as he cut their connection. He hoped he could find Kuga, or Cougar, before too long.

"_Two-tongue? Is everything alright?"_ Tal asked, concerned.

"_Yeah, just tired. I'll be fine in a moment."_ James stood there for a few more minutes before he continued to follow the robin.

"_Why'd he get tired?"_ she asked. _"Is everything ok? Can I do anything to help?"_ Her questions were rapid fire, not giving either the hawk or the person a chance to reply.

"_Just keep leading us, robin,"_ Talon replied.

She fell silent, fluttering from branch to branch. It was quiet, not silent, as the trio moved through the trees, so it came as a surprise when a large hand fell upon James's free shoulder.

James jumped, quickly turning around and falling into the fighting stance Logan showed him earlier as Talon screeched and hovered above the brunet's head, ready to attack. All he saw was a large figure in black before he was shoved to the side by a smaller figure.

"_Oh, well, my job's done,"_ the robin twittered nervously. _"Hope to see you later. I have a nest full of fledglings to tend to!"_ And she was gone.

James ignored the robin, watching the two people he'd come out to find. His sister stood with her back to him, snarling at Sabretooth. His black eyes glared at the younger Feral.

"_Cougar's litter-mate! Litter-mate comes before alpha. Alpha will __**not**__ harm litter-mate!"_

James stared, confused. He was certain his sister was growling and snarling…

His eyes widened as he realized what was going on. Cougar was in control, and his mutation was translating what she was saying to the larger male.

"Cougar, don't," James said softly. _'She's essentially challenging her alpha. If she doesn't stand down, he could attack just to prove his dominance over her…'_ he realized.

Cougar's snarls stopped, but she didn't move.

"Cougar, I'm fine. He didn't hurt me. He startled me. I'm alright," he coaxed. James moved so he was sitting up, but didn't move to stand. His sister stared at Sabretooth for a few moments more before she bowed her head. The man huffed and crossed his arms, turning to look further into the woods.

Once his gaze was off her, Cougar turned to James and started sniffing him. The speaker stayed still, letting her check him over to appease her.

Once she was satisfied, she started purring, nudging him with her head in a show of feline affection. James smiled and hugged her.

"I missed you, Cougs," he murmured. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you…"

"_Litter-mate has no need to…feel guilt? Guilt…yes, guilt. No need to feel guilt. Litter-mate didn't know."_

"That doesn't mean I don't feel guilty…" James pulled away from the young woman, looking at the ground. "I should have been there to keep you safe. But I didn't."

Cougar moved to look into James's chocolate brown eyes, her own midnight-colored orbs confused and curious.

"_Litter-mate can understand Cougar?"_ By now, Sabretooth was watching the siblings.

"Dunno how, but yeah. I can."

"Is there a reason yer out here alone, lil' 'path?" he purred.

"I was actually looking for the two of you." James looked up at the large man, still sitting on the ground.

"Any particular reason?" Sabretooth's voice was a dangerously soft purr now. James looked away, shrugging slightly.

"I just wanted to see my sister again…" he murmured softly. Cougar nudged his shoulder with her head and almost toppled him. James laughed, hugging her tightly again.

* * *

"She needs to be locked up," Scott demanded. James froze on his way to the game room, backtracked a few steps and looked in the doorway of the Professor's office. Logan, Scott, and the Professor were in the room, looking to be having a meeting, or an argument, if the irritated look on Logan and Scott's faces were to be believed.

"Do ya want 'er ta be even _more_ traumatized?" Logan asked.

"She **attacked** one of the **students**," the brunet retorted.

"Because she hasn't hunted for God-knows-how-long," James interrupted, stepping into the room. Three pairs of eyes turned to the newest resident. When the silence remained for a long moment, he continued to explain. "When her mutation first manifested, Kuga would need to go hunting, would need fresh blood, at least once a week. As she grew older, the need to hunt came less often. Just before our parents found out about her mutation, Kuga only needed to hunt once a month.

"Now, I have _no_ clue how often she hunted after she left home, but I _highly_doubt she was allowed to hunt while she was in that experimentation facility." James's voice darkened as he recalled what the Professor had told him just a few hours ago. Talon, perched on his shoulder as usual, lightly bit his person's ear, drawing him back. James shook his head, sending a soft smile to the hawk before looking directly into Scott's red sunglasses.

"According to the Professor," James nodded slightly to the eldest telepath, who smiled kindly, "my sister was in that _facility_ for a _year_." The last part was spat out. "A _year_ of not fulfilling her feral side's blood-lust. I'm surprised she didn't do what she did sooner."

"And who's to say she won't attack the students in bloodlust again?" Scott argued.

"I don't know what you have against Kuga," James glared, "but it seems to me you are trying to find a reason to get rid of her. My sister is one of the best people I know. She will do everything in her power to protect those she considers part of her pack. She will help those who need it.

"She got into more fights in school than anyone I've met simply because someone was picking on someone who couldn't fight back, even if she didn't know the victim. She got a lot of crap for defending the weak and the nerdy kids, but never said anything against them and only threw a punch if they attacked first.

"Then she retreats to Canada to escape MCA or MRD or whatever the hell they're calling themselves now, is brought here where she stays for a few days. When she's back to herself, she leaves because of a nightmare, and runs into Sabretooth. She runs off and ends up in that place after a few years." James paused to let it all sink in.

"Seems to me she had a hard adult life. Her childhood she spent defending people. Still is, actually. She stepped between me and Sabretooth in the woods until she was certain he wouldn't hurt me, growling and snarling at him," James added. Logan raised an eyebrow and the Professor chuckled softly.

"She's always…" the youngest male paused. He sighed and looked at the plush carpeting before he continued, his voice growing quiet and uncertain. "…Kuga's always had a fear of being locked up or caged. She couldn't ever stand being inside for too long, and would avoid going into small places, like elevators and closets, like the plague. She _never _used her closet at the house. She had a rack set up next to her dresser for everything that needed to be hung up."

He looked at Cyclops again, chocolate brown eyes sad and pleading. "Knowing that, would you still lock her up? After she spent a year locked up?"

Talon rubbed against his person's cheek before he glared at red-eye-man. His golden eyes seemed to pierce straight through the man.

When no one responded to Two-tongue's question, he started out of the room. Talon fluttered to a chair, causing Two-tongue to stop and look at him questioningly.

"_I'll meet up with you in a bit. Go find your no-feather friends,"_ the hawk said.

"_If you're sure… I'll leave the room window open. Will you tell me if they say anything of interest?"_ Two-tongue asked. Talon nodded, then the young man left.

Once his person was out of the room, the hawk turned his piercing gold gaze back to red-eye-man. If he had arms, he'd be crossing them across his chest. However, he didn't, so Talon settled for just glaring.

"Don't think th' bird is happy with ya, Scooter," Wolf-man chuckled.

"I can tell." Red-eye-man's voice was dry as he fidgeted uncomfortably under the sharp gaze.

* * *

**I feel I should let you know I had no intention of James going on a rant like that. But…I'm satisfied with it. It fits. And it's really good. Thank you, muses! *puts a tray of offerings on an alter for the muses to enjoy at their leisure***

**I feel it's too short… But I like it. Just unsure about the abrupt ending… And I apologize for the shortness of the chapter, and how little action there is… -.- I **_**do**_** hope everyone enjoyed that little peek into Kuga's childhood. **(I never got into a fight with anyone at school. Kuga's just more violent than I am.)

**However, I do have some interesting things planned, partially written out. Should come up within the next few chapters. I'm trying to figure out where to take the story… I know what I **_**want**_**, but not how to get there…**

**Thanks for the wonderful reviews! (Sorry, Guest. The squirrel didn't get away…) I love seeing how many people read this story. Each review makes me smile, and I get really giddy when I see a "New Review for Feral Trauma" email.**

**Hope everyone's enjoying their holiday! I had a great Christmas: got $50 for my favorite clothing store, a series of books (finished the first one by 9:40 Christmas night.), 5 fairy statuettes by Amy Brown, art supplies, earrings, a charm bracelet, and some stuff for my scrapbook. I'm happy.**

**Alright, I'm closing the first poll, and putting up the next one. I'll put the results up next chapter. Thanks to everyone who voted!**

**Until next chapter, **_**vale!**_ (Good-bye in Latin)

**Risika Kiisu Seto**


	16. Chapter 16: The Memory Remains

**Anna, here's your update. No dying on me, got it? *glares, before bursting into good-natured laughter* I'm glad you like it so much! Updates are…irregular, I suppose one would say. No promises on when the next chapter will be out. I hope you will continue to read and comment! n.n (And get an account! I like to PM peoples and have long conversations that somehow turn to random topics, like squirrels! XD …Be afraid, be VERY afraid.)**

* * *

**Chapter 16: The Memory Remains**

"**Like twisted vines that grow  
That hide and swallow mansions whole  
And dim the light of an already faded prima donna"  
–Metallica, "The Memory Remains"**

_**Bold italics**_= memory

_Italics_= telepathic interaction

* * *

It was mid-morning, and Cougar lay stretched out on her stomach on the back of the…couch (or so her human side had told her once before) with her arms and legs falling casually on either side of her. Alpha stood in the corner, ready to attack anything that threatened them. No-head-fur-mind-speaker sat behind the dead-half-tree-desk, watching her with sharp eyes. Shining ice-blue eyes stared into her glimmering black, as if he was trying to pry her secrets from her eyes alone.

She knew what he wanted; he wanted to find out what happened to her and her partner-of-mind-and-soul. And…she _had_ told him she would tell him. She didn't have anything to hide. Her human half might not feel the same, but he asked, and Cougar was willing to humor the mind-speaker if it meant he'd leave her and her other half alone.

The young Feral blinked slowly, as if to give the mind-speaker permission to enter her mind. Alpha growled, but didn't move. She started purring softly, reassuring him that she was not injured. Then mind-speaker was in her head. It was not like the last mind-speaker, the one who tried to weaken her by attacking her partner-of-mind-and-soul. No, it was like a cool breeze flowing over her mind. It was a little uncomfortable; after all, there _were_ three minds in one head.

'_Focus, Cougar,' _the mind-speaker's voice whispered in her mind. Cougar growled slightly but closed her eyes and let him in fully.

* * *

_Cougar looked around her. She was in a cave, a big cave. Light streamed in from the entrance behind her; somehow she knew without knowing that would lead her back to the physical world, back to strange human things like couches and desks._

_A presence was behind her, moving to stand beside her. Cougar growled until she realized it was only no-head-fur-mind-speaker in his strange blood-earth-metal chair. He chuckled softly, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder._

"_Just guide me, Cougar," he whispered. She looked at him drily before huffing. She knew what to do. She did it with partner-of-mind-and-soul and bad mind-speaker. She would do the same with no-head-fur-mind-speaker._

_Cougar started forward, mind-speaker followed. She led the way down into the big cave, through twisting tunnels and smaller caves, both knowing and not knowing where she was going. After a bit, they reached a particular part of the tunnel where it offered two paths. The other tunnels branching off their tunnel had been small; this one offered no clue where to go. Cougar stared down one tunnel, then the other, sniffing each. With a purr, she turned to mind-speaker._

"_To partner-of-mind-and-soul…to human. To Kuga," she said, pointing down one of the tunnels. Cougar didn't feel comfortable revealing how completely she relied on Kuga, or Kuga on her. They couldn't live without the other, couldn't survive without cooperating. She didn't like revealing such weaknesses to _any_one, much less a mind-speaker. It made her feel like she was rolling onto her back with an angry brown-bear-grizzly in front of her; however, she couldn't do anything about it. Mind-speaker probably already knew how much both sides of her relied on the other._

"_Go this way, to Cougar's memories," Cougar continued, shaking those thoughts away as she pointed down the opposite tunnel. "Kuga not recovered enough to deal with watching memory of white-coats."_

"_Then let us proceed," no-head-fur-mind-speaker replied calmly. He gave her an easy smile and waited for Cougar to continue before following._

_They traveled for a while until they reached the cave with her memories. As with before, they were a jumbled mess, but easy to pick through, and still in time-order, so Cougar wouldn't get confused with what happened first. And Cougar was proud of her memory-mind-cave. The memories may have been scattered like prey-bones after a meal, but it wasn't as bad as her partner's mind was when bad-mind-speaker invaded Kuga's mind-territory. It had taken the human two suns to get everything back in order. Besides, there was a general order to the chaos, as her human often called it._

_Cougar left mind-speaker at the tunnel as she carefully dug through the memories. Instead of being on a human contraption like last time, the memories were on prey-skins, written out with drawings that moved. She didn't know what caused the change, but Cougar liked it; it seemed right. She didn't spend too long thinking about it; it was what it was, nothing more and nothing less._

_She found the skin she was looking for and carried it to no-head-fur, glaring at it as she handed it over. He took it carefully in his unclawed hands. As the memory-skin left Cougar's paws, the skin changed to resemble the strange thing her memory was on last time. She preferred the skin, but guessed the mind-speaker preferred human-things._

_As she watched, the frozen image on the human-thing started to move and she was wrapped in the sounds and scents and feelings of The Building._

* * *

_**Cougar snarled as humans dragged her body through tunnels with straight walls. She wasn't exactly certain how long she'd been there, but it was at least two moon-cycles. She was too weak to do anything against the human-paws holding her, though. She growled. **_**Weak**_**, these white-coats had made her **_**weak!**_** She couldn't even **_**walk**_** on her own. They would pay.**_

_**She struggled, trying to squirm out of the human-paws dragging her around like bad prey-meat. One of the humans stuck her in the side with…something. Before she could try figuring out what the thing was, pain racked through her being, causing muscles to tense and her body to shake. Cougar locked her jaw against the scream that threatened to escape. She wasn't weak prey who cried out when the hunter attacked! **_**SHE**_** was the hunter!**_

_**The thing jabbing her side left, as did the pain, and her body went limp. Phantom pains caused her muscles to quiver. Cougar was reminded of a time **_**before**_**, before she met the Alpha, before she met claw-man, before she was taken from her territory. She had climbed a large rock and was looking out over her territory. Sky-fire flashed in dark storm-clouds, lighting her territory. Sky-fire flashed again, streaking down to Cougar; she didn't have time to move before the sky-fire hit her. Her body shook and muscles tensed as the sky-fire raced through her blood and lit nerves on fire.**_

_**As the humans continued dragging her, Cougar couldn't help but eye them. They were able to control sky-fire? They could command it to come when they called, to do their bidding? The thought both terrified and enraged her. Sky-fire wasn't meant to be**_** tamed**_**, wasn't meant to be **_**controlled**_**. But if humans could tame the fire-from-the-sky, what did that mean for **_**her?**

_**Cougar was jerked from her thoughts as the humans stopped in front of a blood-earth-metal door. It opened, revealing The Room. The blood-earth-metal table waited silently in the middle, waited for **_**her**_**. The humans forced her onto it, strapping her down with blood-earth-metal bands. The cold from the blood-earth-metal shocked her and gave her burning muscles some relief; even still, the young Feral knew she needed to get away. **_**He**_** would be coming soon.**_

_**She squirmed and twisted and clawed what surface she could reach with her hands clamped to her sides, searching eagerly to get off of the table but to no avail. The bands holding her were relatively thin—only about as thick as her smallest claw was wide—but strong enough they didn't even weaken from her struggling. Her over-taxed muscles sent fire through her body as she fought an enemy that wasn't even alive; Cougar didn't stop, though. She and the partner-of-mind-and-soul had been caged for **_**far**_** too long. She **_**needed**_** to get them out, **_**soon****. **_**Her partner-of-mind-and-soul was already starting to crumble, like bad-rot-wood under her claws and feet after the snows melted or rained for too many suns.**_

_**Cougar wouldn't let them take Kuga further from her. Not after everything the feline went through to ensure their combined safety.**_

_**Another door opened, causing Cougar to freeze. She tested the air, curling her lip at the overwhelming scent of too-clean objects. She easily sorted out the underlying scents however, being surrounded by the strong scent allowed her to adjust to it. When the Feral caught scent of the one who entered the room moments ago, a rumbling started in her chest and worked its way up to a low, loud, dangerous growl. The man smelled strongly of too-clean, but the scent of blood, fear, pain, and tears—none of it his own—would taint him for seasons. Beneath that was the shower-stuff he used to clean, then his personal scent: he smelled like caves—musty air, stagnant water, wet rocks.**_

_**The man slowly walked to a spot where Cougar could see him, hands in the pockets of his white-coat. He had thinning honey-brown hair and slight wrinkles around his eyes and mouth and between his eyebrows. His grey eyes glittered with dark pleasure—he **_**enjoyed**_** seeing others strapped down helplessly as he did what he pleased. The young female wanted nothing more than to slash her kill-sharp claws into his flesh; to rid the white-coat of his smirk and claw out his glittering eyes. She wanted to hurt **_**him**_** as much as **_**he**_** hurt **_**them**_**.**_

_**The white-coat called some orders out to other white-coats as he pulled long gloves over his thin fingers. Cougar bared her fangs, spitting and snarling as the white-coats approached the blood-earth-metal table she was bound to; one pushed a much smaller blood-earth-metal table, raised so she couldn't see what was on it. Light suddenly flooded the area, much brighter than any light the sun could give, blinding her so she could no longer make out the details of the white-coats' faces.**_

_**She pushed partner-of-mind-and-soul back further, not wanting the fragile mind of her human half to be weakened any more than it already was. Cougar was stronger; she could stand more pain than the human.**_

_**She screamed as the white-coats broke ribs after cutting her open; they poked and prodded, sending sharp flares of pain through her system. The Feral clenched her jaw against the pain, refusing to scream again.**_

* * *

_Cougar took the memory-viewer from mind-speaker, putting it back where she got it. She grabbed another memory-skin and returned to the no-head-fur-man, holding it out for him. It had pictures of what looked to be an empty room with a human figure in it, a strange tunnel with many other tunnels branching off it, a pile of meat…Mind-speaker took it, and Cougar was swept away in her memory once again._

* * *

_**Cougar had let the human control once again. She didn't **_**want**_** to hand control over, but she needed rest. Kuga was panicked and worried; the smell of her fear overwhelmed the both of them. It certainly didn't help that they had been knocked out and transported. The room the Feral found herself in was strange. There was a tunnel in the far wall, but Kuga didn't move toward it, being cautious.**_

_**Kuga held her stomach as it let out a weak grumble; she was starving, literally. She hadn't been given any food for a week now; the only good thing that came from it was the fact the white-coats didn't take her in for their 'tests' during the week.**_

_**A scent drifted toward her; fresh, raw meat. Kuga closed her tiger-gold eyes and inhaled deeply, relishing the scent. She followed the scent until she realized it was coming from the tunnel. She hesitated; should she stay here where she could see someone coming, or go into the tunnel where she had no clue what awaited her?**_

_**Her stomach decided for her as it gave another rumble. Cougar purred as the scent became concentrated as Kuga entered the tunnel.**_

'It's a hallway, Cougar, not a tunnel,'_** Kuga said. The beast huffed; what did it matter what something was called? They were in a white-coat-den, starved and weakened, with no clue as to where they were. Names of human-things did not matter; food did.**_

'Food. Follow food-scent. Hunger go away.'_** The human couldn't argue with that logic and made her way further in the tunnel-hallway. Many other tunnel-hallways branched off the main one, but partner-of-mind-and-soul followed her nose, just like Cougar would. Her ears were alert, listening for anything behind or in front of her.**_

_**Soon, Kuga reached a room much like the one she was in when she woke up; the only difference was this room had a pile of raw prey-meat. Kuga leaped onto it, devouring the food quicker than a pack of starving wolves. The meat was cold, nothing like fresh-prey-meat. But food was food.**_

_**Cougar could hear some murmuring from…somewhere.**_

"_**It finished the maze in 7 minutes! How did it do it?"**_

"_**If I am correct, which I believe I am, the subject followed the scent of the meat. When it finishes eating, return Subject 279 to its cell. We will resume experimentation the day after tomorrow."**_

"_**Sir!"**_

_**Cougar growled in the back of Kuga's mind. The white-coats were watching her! They didn't respect her at all… Well, she'd have to change that. Somehow.**_

* * *

_The mind-speaker returned the memory-viewer, and Cougar exchanged it for yet another memory-skin; this one had a drawing of a large cat-like animal fighting with a humanoid-figure similar to the previous memory-skins. As with the other two memory-skins, when no-head-fur took it from her claws, it changed into a small, flat, rectangular object. He touched the top of the memory-thing, and Cougar was in the memory._

* * *

_**Kuga was dropped in the middle of a large enclosure; it was at least 3 tree-lengths in either direction, a total of 6 tree-lengths from one end to the other.* Cougar gently padded forward, but partner-of-mind-and-soul pushed her back determinedly. The beast huffed, but backed down anyway.**_

_**Cougar used her human half's senses to observe the room they were in. There was a door on the wall they were facing; it was half the size of normal doors and no way to open it from the side they were on. Kuga glared at it because it reminded her of the doors in zoo exhibits. Then she looked at the walls, turning in a slow circle to check the rest of the room**_

'Cement…'_** Kuga sighed mentally. **_'And…Is that an observation room?'

_**The room in question was behind thick shiny-solid-air-glass and positioned high in one of the tall walls, too high for her to reach by jumping (and Cougar had a very powerful jump, if she did say so herself). Behind the shiny-solid-air-glass were a bunch of white-coats with their strange pads they used to mark on; they stared at the young Feral, occasionally making a mark on the pad. In a burst of cub-like immaturity, Kuga stuck her tongue out at the white-coats before turning her back on them and sitting on her ass, arms crossed petulantly over her chest.**_

_**The human's attention was moved to the door as it slid up without warning. As her arms relaxed to her side and she moved to sit on her haunches, her golden eyes warily watched the black abyss that was revealed, waiting for…well, just waiting. Waiting to see what lay in the shadows, waiting to get food, waiting to get answers, waiting to be free… She was always waiting these days, Cougar realized. Waiting for the white-coats, waiting for the tests, waiting for the tests to end, always waiting, waiting…**_

_**A large, brownish-grey paw stepped into the light, followed by a leg, chest, and then the head of a mountain lion. The other predator padded into the room, yellow eyes bright with hunger. Cougar noticed how thin the predator was, though she doubted the partner-of-mind-and-soul could see it past the lean muscle and thick fur. The cat's eyes swept across the room before landing on the Feral. Its lips curled back in a quick snarl, revealing thick yellowed fangs before they were hidden by whiskered lips once more. The gleam in its eyes brightened as its body crouched closer to the floor; it started stalking closer.**_

_**Cougar shoved the human back, knowing **_**she**_** would be better able to fend off the creature; shadows swirled in her golden eyes until they were black as a moonless night. Cougar didn't take her eyes off the challenger-of-her-dominance as she rolled her shoulders, loosening muscles that had become tight. Her claws lengthened and she curled her lip for a moment, mimicking the challenger. It hesitated, sensing the change in the female, but its hunger overrode its caution and it continued stalking forward.**_

_**Cougar let a deep growl start up in her chest in warning as she crouched, prepared to fight the starved predator. It stopped about a half-tree-length away, watching the Feral with a wariness that Cougar used when gauging the danger-level of other predators. Yellow eyes met black as the two predators stared. The cat flattened its ears and snarled, padding in a circle around Cougar and forcing the Feral turned to keep her eyes on the creature. It lashed its large paw out…**_

* * *

_Cougar snatched the memory from the mind-speaker, abruptly ending it. He gave her a questioning look, to which she shrugged as she returned the memory skin to its pile._

"_Panther was Cougar's pack-mate. Pack-mate of wild. Not of actual pack, but panther did not deserve to be trapped. Panther and Cougar both meant to be in needle-leaf-trees, to be in wild. Same thing would have happened if panther invaded territory, or Cougar invaded panther's territory. But panther did not deserve what it got."_

_Cougar refused to say more on the subject, which was made clear by her stiff posture. She didn't cross her arms, as partner-of-mind-and-soul would have (Cougar had an instinctive need to keep her claws at the ready. Crossing her arms would only slow her reaction time down.) but her shoulders were tense, ready to attack or run._

"_I see. Thank you for allowing me to see your memories. We should be going, however," no-head-fur stated calmly. Cougar followed the man as he exited the memory-cave before she took the lead. They were silent as they traveled back to the entrance of the cave. At the large cave Cougar started in, no-head-fur spoke._

"_Cougar, I appreciate this. If you or Kuga ever need assistance with anything, don't hesitate to call. I'll hear you," he said, tapping his temple. Cougar looked at him, her head cocked slightly to the left._

"_Cougar doesn't need help," she responded. It wasn't said condescendingly or cockily, just a statement of a fact._

"_I don't doubt that, my dear. Just remember my offer." Then he was gone, out of her head. Cougar walked to the entrance of the cave and into the light…_

* * *

She opened her eyes to find herself still on the strange—yet comfortable—couch back. Cougar sat up, straddling the back of the couch as she shook her head and stretched to untense her muscles. She looked around to see Alpha had moved to sit in one of the human-chairs. His black eyes met hers for a moment before she looked down and away. A chuckle came from him as the young Feral looked out the windows. The sun was sinking into the trees, ready to sleep and let the moon and stars watch over the world.

Her stomach growled, causing Alpha to chuckle again. She glared at him briefly before leaping off the back of the couch, landing near the doors. A softer chuckle caused the female to turn and glare at the mind-speaker for a moment before she padded out of the room on bare feet, disregarding the two males in a 'holier-than-thou' sort of way.

She silently stalked the halls, avoiding the others of the mind-speaker's pack as she made her way to the door that led outside. Alpha caught up to her in the trees then headed the hunt. They successfully killed an older doe; she had a lame front leg and, though the meat was tougher, it ensured the herd stayed strong so Cougar and her Alpha could continue to hunt them without needing to find a new herd.

After hunting, Cougar found the room-den that she woke up in, curling up on the plush bed. However, it was not Cougar who woke up the next morning, but Kuga.

* * *

_*Remember- 1 tree-length=10 feet  
half-tree-length=5 feet_

_*Mountain lions have many names: Puma, cougar, panther… Depends on the area you grew up in, I guess. I've always known them as cougars and pumas._

**Alright. I have no clue where most of this came from… But I like it. The memories were…interesting to write. And it was **_**really**_** interesting trying to describe what every-day human objects would be to Cougar. "Couch" gave me some trouble…**

**I can see Cougar changing, little by little. Maybe it's just me… Do any of **_**you**_** see her changing slightly? Maybe I'm just seeing something that's not there… XP**

**I cannot **_**believe**_** what comes out of my mind… *looks at dr. scene and shudders* I worry about myself… At least it isn't **_**too**_** bad… At least, I don't **_**think**_** so… o.0**

**And Kuga **_**finally**_** wakes up! YAY! *glomps Kuga* I missed you!**

…Get off.

**No! I missed you, your brother has been worried about you, and I know some of the readers missed you, too!**

I don't care. _Get. Off._ *lengthens claws*

**Fine, fine… meanie… *lets go of Kuga***

**Anyway; I would like to make another shout-out! Many thanks to all my reviewers! I _was_ gonna list you all, but there are SO MANY! A total of 125 reviews, 116 followers, and 77 favorites as of 1 am on January 14! O.O** **I love you ALL! *hands out soda and cupcakes* I also enjoy the strange conversations I have with some of you. n.n  
You know who you are.**

**SPEAKING of which... A VERY special shout out to my wonderful beta who agreed to look over my chapters even though she's sick! Thank you _so_ much, Unicow17. As I've already said _numerous_ times, I hope you get better soon!**

**Onto my personal life, even though I doubt anyone really wants to hear about my problems. n.n  
I know the 2****nd**** semester only just started, but I'm tired of school. But I don't wanna graduate (senior year, which I've mentioned multiple times, I believe) 'cause I'm not ready… Grrr… I just wanna stay home and do what I like to do: read, write, draw, watch TV, and play video games (with some other activities thrown in, like ice skating, horseback riding, etc). Don't wanna work, don't wanna go to school.**

**Ok, I'm done ranting. Please tell me what you think of this chapter!**

**Laters!**


	17. Important Author's Note: Please Read!

**A/N:**

**I seriously apologize. This isn't the next chapter, but just an Author's Note. An important one, at that.**

**I realize the next chapter is taking forever to be finished. However, I've been busy. I'm in the last semester of high school, and I really want to pass, so I've been focusing on school work. On top of that, my mom had her knee replaced in early December and ended up falling on it a few weeks ago because she was hungry and didn't want to disturb my brother, who was only playing a game. I was asleep...**

**As if THAT wasn't enough, I believe Kuga and Cougar want to torture me. When I write, it's like they are taunting me. I'll start off, and I'll like it, but after a bit, I don't like it. And I can't think of how to fix it, so end up tossing that bit. Then I'll re-write it, and the process starts over. XP**

**I will do my best to get the next chapter out before the end of February. I'm sorry it's taking so effin' long... I just wanted to let you all know I've not given up and abandoned this story. Kuga won't let me.**

**Risika Kiisu Seto**


	18. Chapter 18: Reunions

**A/N: I'm so sorry! Here's a long overdue chapter… –ducks behind Kuga to avoid being hit by things—**

* * *

**Chapter 18: Reunions**

"**Each has his past shut in him like the leaves of a book known to him by his heart, and his friends can only read the title." –Virginia Woolf**

* * *

Sometime just after dawn, James was checking in on his sister. He had hardly slept since he had learned of Kuga's imprisonment; the fact that Cougar had stayed in control since she woke up only made him more worried. He slowly opened the door and cautiously looked in; last time he'd just walked in, the young man had ended up pinned, with Cougar's fangs on his throat. She hadn't drawn blood, but it was a close call.

The female Feral was sitting up in bed on top of the covers, staring around the room with a confused look on her face. Her hands were on the bed between her legs to support her. Her hair was mussed, partly covering her face in a gentle snarl. A large t-shirt and pair of loose sweatpants swamped her frame. Talon was on the wardrobe, watching the room attentively.

James chuckled quietly, attracting the feline's attention. She turned bright gold eyes on the intruder before a squeal erupted from her as she launched herself at the hapless telepath. Startled, he couldn't do anything to avoid her and ended up on the floor with a purring woman pressing her face in his chest. He was startled even more when he felt something wet on his shirt, right where his sister had laid her head.

Kuga, the young woman who ran from home at the age of 17 and fought Sabretooth not long after, was _crying_.

"Uh…Cougs?" James asked tentatively. Kuga buried her face deeper into his chest and fisted his shirt as small sobs shook her body. She was so lost, so _confused_, and James provided an anchor in her world that was suddenly turned around. She didn't want to let him go.

"Cougar? Hey, c'mon girl," James tried to coax her. "Cougs, what's wrong?" When he didn't get a response, he sighed and picked her up, got off the floor (with minor difficulties, due to carrying the dusty-brown-haired woman) and sat on the bed. Once settled, he started petting her head soothingly.

The young Feral only curled up tighter on his chest, breathing in his oh-so-familiar scent. When was the last time she had smelled his scent? When she ran from her parents' home… How long ago was that? A few years, at least.

She finally managed to calm herself and stop her tears. She pushed away from her brother and wiped her eyes before looking the brunet in the eyes. James froze upon seeing those golden irises for only a moment before he pulled her into a tight hug.

"Kuga! You're back!" he exclaimed happily. He pushed her away to get a better look at her, his hands on her shoulders, then pulled her into another hug.

Kuga laughed, caught up in her brother's joy. "Yeah, I am. Hey, do you know where we are? And how I got here? Last I remember… Chrys was planning on going to her aunt's house for a week or so…"

Suddenly, she looked at the young telepath suspiciously. "James…What are you doing here? Why aren't you in college or working? You said you wanted to be a game developer…"

"Um…" James scratched the back of his neck nervously, looking anywhere but at his sister and her piercing eyes. "I'll tell you later… But we're at Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters."

Kuga gasped, jumping up excitedly. "I remember being here! Or, at least, I remember being shown around a bit. Hey, does that one red-headed lady still work here? Do you think she can get me some extra clothes? These are starting to smell.

"Speaking of smells, it smells like bird in here. Is there a bird near here? Hey, I could go for some chicken. Or turkey. Actually, scratch that. I want venison. Or moose; I like moose."

"Kuga!" James finally broke in. "Settle down! Did you get hit over the head or something? You're acting like a kid! I'm sure the Professor will answer your questions."

Kuga just grinned before looking around and finally spotting Talon. "HEY! There _is_ a bird! Oh, he's pretty. Why's he in the room, though? Oh well. Red-tailed hawk, right? He's _really_ pretty. I didn't know red-tails were in New York. That's where the Institute is, right? New York? How'd he get in here? Hey, he's got gold eyes like me! And Ko-ko. Do you know who Ko-ko is? Of course you don't, you've not met him. He's my silver tabby. Well, mine and Chrys's. He-"

"KUGA! ENOUGH!" James shouted, cutting the Feral off. Kuga looked at him, mouth slightly open, shocked that he'd actually _shouted_ at her. "C'mon, I think the Professor would like to speak with you."

"Ok!" Kuga chirped. Before they could even leave the room, the door opened again.

"What's with all the noise?" a stern voice demanded. Kuga turned to look at the man in the doorway. He was a young man, but older than her, with brown hair and red glasses.

"Sorry, Scott," James said. "Kuga just woke up."

The young Feral jumped off her bed and in front of the man. She stuck out a clawed hand. "I don't remember meeting you during my last stay," she grinned, her fangs glinting in the light. "I'm Kuga. Or Cougar. Whichever, really."

The man watched her warily as he took her hand. "Scott Summers," he responded slowly. "Cyclops."

"Nice to meetcha, Cyke!" she giggled, her grin growing as she bounced slightly and released his hand. Without warning, she stopped bouncing and stepped closer to the brunet, sniffing him. Scott was taller than her by about a half a head, she noted.

"Cougs, what are you doing?" James asked, trying to contain his laughter at Scott's expression as the X-Man leader stepped away from her.

"I'm scenting him so I know what he smells like," was the innocent reply. Turning to the slightly (read-very) freaked out man, Kuga said, "You smell like bitter apples and cinnamon."

James laughed as Scott's expression _clearly_ conveyed how crazy he thought the young Feral was.

"Sooo… Where's the Prof? I heard he could answer some questions," Kuga said, ignoring the look.

"He should be in his office," Scott responded.

"I'll take her," James said. "I believe you have a meeting, then a class?" The elder mutant nodded and strode away. "C'mon Kuga." He led the way out of the room as Talon fluttered on his shoulder.

James led the way out of the room, Talon gliding to land on his shoulder. They managed to walk all of five feet from the room before Kuga started up again.

"James? Why're you at a mutant school? I didn't think you were a mutant. You're not Feral. Ferals have a certain scent. Are you… No, you don't smell like flames and ash…" She walked closer to her brother, sniffing his neck. "Yeah, not a fire-controller. Nor ice… Nah, you smell like rain and peppers and feathers and fur and scales and books. Like you always did."

James gave the Feral an odd look, edging away from her slightly. "Kuga…? Are you certain you're ok?"

"Yup! Peachy-keen! Oh, look at this!" Kuga ran a bit down the hall, stopping in front of a painting. "Oh, I wish I could paint like that… It's so pretty!"

"_Tal, I think my sister has lost her mind…"_ James murmured quietly in the hawk's tongue.

"_Is she not like this normally?"_ the bird questioned. The man shook his head. _"Well…Mind-speaker-Flock-leader might know what is wrong with Hunter-Cat-Lady."_

"Hunter-Cat-Lady?" James repeated in his own tongue. "Okay, then. Such strange names for us…"

Kuga continued to look at every piece of art in the hall, bounding from one to the next like a hyper-active kid. James had _never_ seen her act this way, not even before her mutation manifested. He was glad to see her being less reserved, but…this was just strange. The childishness of her actions made him think something _seriously_ messed with her mind. Or some_one_.

Before long, the siblings reached the Professor's office. Kuga walked right in, causing James to face-palm. The occupants of the room turned to the doors, startled.

James apologized and explained what was going on. Kuga took the opportunity to catalogue everyone's scent. Scott was there, as was the red-headed woman who, she remembered, had shown her around during her first (and only) time here. She still smelled like spring flowers, books, children, and fire. There was an African American woman with white hair who smelled like rain, electricity, and perfume. Finally, there was the professor, the bald man in the wheel-chair. He smelled like old books, a warm fire on a winter night, summer breezes, and cherry wood.

Kuga committed each scent to memory in case she ran into them on the streets. People could change their appearance, but scents never lied. It only took her a few moments to identify and memorize their scents. She was finished before her brother finished his (admittedly short) explanation. As the wheelchair-bound man nodded, Kuga focused her attention on him. (She refused to call him 'crippled' because she knew he was far from it.)

"I see. Thank you, James. Scott, Jean, Ororo, we will finish our meeting later," Xavier said. The three instructors nodded and left as the telepath turned to the young woman.

"Do you wish for James to stay?" he asked. Kuga thought for a moment before nodding, at which both men smiled. She perched carefully on the edge of one of the chairs, suddenly nervous. Last time she was here, she left in the middle of the night, not even 24 hours after waking in the cell.

"Kuga," the Professor started. He steepled his hands and met the young Feral's gaze imploringly. "What was the last thing you remember before waking up this morning?"

* * *

**A/N: I apologize again for the long wait… T_T Please forgive me? Kuga wouldn't work with me, and everything I tried to write ended up scrapped. (doesn't help that I've had a lot of family and personal issues lately…) But I got her to cooperate and finally got this typed up!**

**And I have more in my composition book that will easily make another chapter. So hopefully that one will be up soon, too.**

**In completely unrelated news: my birthday was March 5. I am now 18! Mom and Dad and my brother got me 2 light-up Harry Potter wands. One is Harry's, the other is Hermione's. n.n**

**Well, once again, I apologize profusely for such a long wait… But even with that unplanned hiatus, I have more followers! Thank you to everyone who favorited and followed my story! And to those handful of reviewers who gave me a supportive review! Thank you for understanding! –hugs everyone-**

**(and to the guest: You have very ironic timing. I had just gotten the beta'ed chapter back when you reviewed. 8D)**

_And I'm sorry, too. I just didn't wanna work. XP_

**That's not an excuse, Kuga.**

_I know. It's an explanation. –grins— And I'm gonna apologize for the cliff hanger here. But the cub felt it would be better to cut it off here._

**I'M NOT A CUB! How many times to I have to **_**tell**_** you!?**

_You're a cub. Don't care what you say._

**-growls-**

_-pats head- But as Risika said, she has a lot written down, which should be plenty for the next chapter._

**Kuga! Leave me alone! –swipes at Kuga's hand unsuccessfully—**

_Love ya too, Kiisu. –grins—_

…**I'm gonna go. Need to start typing up the next chapter. If you have anything you'd like me to add, please leave a review, or PM me. I'm running out of ideas…**

**Thank you all for sticking with this story, even with so many unplanned breaks… –slinks into her room, hoping to avoid rotten tomatoes and other things—**

* * *

**Beta Note: Hey guys, Fate2017 here, so just Fate. Well I just gotta tell everyone that I was extremely happy that Kug's finally helped Risika out. -smirks- And I'm sorry that I didn't get this to her right away.. I'm helping a terrific friend out right now that has cancer. But like the best friend Risika is, she has checked on me several times this past week! So thanks for your patience from both of us!**

**-Fate**


	19. Chapter 19 AN again

**AN:**

**I must apologize for the wait... These past few weeks I've been studying and getting ready for high school Graduation (which is Sunday). I've been so distracted lately, by that and by Tumblr. And Kuga seems to want to only RP at the moment... But I have part of the next chapter typed up, which I will post in replace of this when I finish it.**

**I'm really sorry, everyone. If you have any ideas for the story, please send them in! Just wanted to let you all know that I haven't forgotten about this story, nor will I give up on it.**


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